M  E  N  T  S 
RUTH 

ARD  fNGALESE 
LA  INGALESE 


Charles  Josselyn 


Digitized  by  tine  Internet  Archive 

in  2007  witii  funding  from 

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http://www.archive.org/details/fragmentsoftrutliOOingaricli 


FRAGMENTS  OF  TRUTH 


FRAGMENTS  OF  TfttJTH 


RICHARD    INGALESE         "     ^u- 

AND 

ISABELLA  INGALESE 


NEW  YORK 

DODD,  MEAD  AND  COMPANY 

1921 


Copyright,  1921 
By  RICHARD  INGALESB 


Zfit  €taixm  Se  go&en   Cwnpany 

BOOK      MANUFACTURERS 
R  A  H  W  A  Y  N  E  W     JERSEY 


Bebtcation 

TO  THOSE  FAITHFUL  STUDENTS  WHO 
ARE  LIVING  THE  TEACHINGS  OF 
OCCULTISM,  IS  THIS  BOOK  DEDICATED 


615S45 


CONTENTS 

CHAPTEB  PAGB 

I    Psychic  Phenomena 1 

Richard  Ingalese 

II    Miracles 34 

Richard  Ingalese 

III  Vibration 53 

Isabella  Ingalese 

IV  Cosmic  Evolution 68 

Isabella  Ingalese 

V    Moses  the  Magiclust 83 

Richard  Ingalese 

VI    Soul  Slavery 108 

Isabella  Ingalese 

VII    Stray  Leaves  of  Occult  History      .       .     120 

Richard  Ingalese 

VIII    Vanity       .       .       .       .       .       .       .       .153 

Isabella  Ingalese 

IX    Death  and  After  .......     166 

Richard  Ingalese 

X    Reciprocity 192 

Isabella  Ingalese 

XI    The  Spiritual  Renaissance  of  the  Nine- 
teenth Century 205 

Richard  Ingalese 

XII    The  Esoteric  Christ 220 

Richard  Ingalese 

XIII  Infinite  Intelligence — God        .       .       .     242 

Isabella  Ingalese 

XIV  Judgment  Day 282 

Isabella  Ingalese 

Index 295 


FRAGMENTS  OF  TRUTH 


FRAGMENTS  OF  TRUTH 

CHAPTER  ONE 

PSYCHIC  PHENOMENA 

Phenomenon  challenges  man's  curiosity,  even 
when  it  does  not  permanently  hold  his  interest; 
and  death  has  always  been  the  chief  phenomenon 
of.  his  observation.  From  the  time  when  the  first 
mother  gazed,  through  her  misty  eyes  of  tears, 
at  the  dead  body  of  her  child,  and  sought  to 
follow,  into  the  silence  and  darkness,  the  ani- 
mating principle  which  had  made  that  body  so 
dear  to  her,  man  has  fitfully  tried  to  penetrate 
the  misty  veil,  in  order  to  ascertain  what  has 
become  of  the  unwilling  pioneer  of  the  Shadow 
World.  At  all  times  some  souls  have  sought  to 
solve  the  mystery  of  life  and  death  and  to  prove 
if  there  is  anything  in  man  that  persists  after  the 
body  becomes  cold  and  dumb. 

Both  profane  and  sacred  history  record  that, 
in  every  period,  some  thinkers  have  believed  in 
the  immortality  of  man,  and  have  endeavored 
to  keep  in  touch  with  those  who  died;  while  the 
priesthood  has  ever  sought  to  discourage,  or  pro- 
hibit, this  public  practice.    To  the  inquiring  mind, 

1 


2        .       EBAGM13NTS  OF  TRUTH 

this  would  seem  a  strange  position  for  priest- 
craft to  assume,  since  any  discovery  would  tend 
to  support  the  contention  of  the  priests;  there- 
fore, a  thinker  must  conclude  that  such  investiga- 
tions would  either  ultimately  destroy  the  re- 
ligious orders,  or  that  the  priesthood  had  esoteric 
knowledge,  on  the  subject,  that  proved  the  prac- 
tice inimical  to  the  investigator.  The  Occultist 
says  there  is  truth  in  both  alternatives. 

Old  wine  in  new  bottles.  Psychic  phenomenon 
is  the  re-christened  lesser  Magic  of  the  ancients — 
a  phase  of  the  power  of  mind,  as  old  as  humanity. 
By  Magic  is  meant,  of  course,  the  control  of  cer- 
tain natural  forces,  through  a  knowledge  of  their 
laws,  and  not  the  tricks  of  legerdemain.  In  its 
modern  aspects,  it  does  not  delve  as  deeply  into 
Soul  Power,  nor  cover  as  wide  a  range  in  ex- 
pression as  did  the  ancient  Temple  Magic,  or 
mediaeval  Ceremonial  Magic.  This  is  due  to  the 
fact  that  people  have  largely  neglected  the  study 
of  the  lower  aspects  of  Occultism,  as  well  as  of 
the  higher,  during  the  last  thousand  years — the 
second  half  of  the  Piscine  Age.  During  this 
period,  man  has  been  more  interested  in  the  ob- 
jective— the  material — than  in,  the  subjective. 
There  have  been  times,  however,  when  his  atten- 
tion has  been  diverted,  temporarily,  and  he  has 
turned,  wonderingly,  to  examine  his  own  inner 
nature  and  its  relationship  to  the  evolutionary 
plan. 


PSYCHIC  PHENOMENA  3 

Modern  psychic  phenomenon,  like  ancient 
Jewish  psychism,  is  largely,  though  not  exclu- 
sively, confined  to  necron..?ncy,  but  with  this 
difference:  at  present,  either  the  ouija  board,  or 
automatic  writing,  often  takes  the  place  of  a 
medium,  for  there  is  a  distinct  tendency,  in  this 
age,  to  individualization  and  to  acquire  knowledge 
without  the  intervention  of  intermediaries. 
Necromancy,  however,  is  always  the  same  in  re- 
sults, whether  it  be  produced  through  a  medium, 
as  in  Spiritism,  by  the  help  of  an  ouija  board,  as 
in  modern  parlor  pastime,  or  as  practised  in 
ancient  demonism,  or  through  blood  sacrifices,  as 
in  voodooism  and  in  devil  worship. 

Broadly  speaking,  modern  psychic  phenomenon, 
of  this  class,  is  embraced  in  five  general  groups 
of  manifestation : 

First,  inspirational  writing  and  speaking. 

Second,  visions,  premonitions,  phantoms  and 
phantasms. 

Third,  clairvoyance  and  clairaudience,  yoga  and 
crystal  gazing. 

Fourth,  psychic  healing. 

Fifth,  physical  phenomena. 

In  discussing  a  topic,  of  this  kind,  with  the 
general  public,  a  student  of  Occultism  is  somewhat 
perplexed,  how  to  proceed,  because  of  the  infinite 
complexity  of  the  subject.  The  grossly  material- 
istic, the  mercenary  religionist  and  the  credulous 
creed-man  will,  perforce,  deny  the  actuality  of  the 


4  FRAGMENTS  OF  TRUTH 

phenomena.  It  is,  therefore,  useless  to  waste 
effort  in  those  directions.  The  reader,  the 
thinker,  the  investigator  must  acknowledge  the 
facts  of  the  phenomena  even  though  they  may- 
doubt  the  various  explanations  given  to  account 
for  them.  The  divergence  of  opinions  has  greatly- 
narrowed,  during  the  last  fifty  years,  until  there 
may  be  said  to  be  but  three  remaining  explana- 
tions ;  namely,  fraud.  Spiritism  and  Occultism.  It 
is  admitted,  by  all  investigators,  that  fraud  runs 
through  much  of  the  phenomena,  but  it  is  equally 
true  that  there  is  a  residuum  wherein  neither  con- 
scious nor  unconscious  fraud  exists  and  this  be- 
comes more  and  more  evident  as  the  accumulation 
of  evidence  multiplies. 

The  chief  differences  in  opinion  between  the 
progressed  Spiritist  and  the  Occultist,  are  these : 
the  latter  maintains  that  some  phenomena  are 
produced  by  intelligences  less  than  man,  under 
man's  direction;  some  by  the  Subjective  mind, 
either  of  the  medium,  or  of  the  investigator,  or  of 
both  co-operating;  while  still  other  manifestations 
are  by  incarnated  egos  who  temporarily  and  volun- 
tarily operate,  at  times,  out  of  their  physical 
bodies  for  the  purpose  of  producing  such  phe- 
nomena. This  was  particularly  true  in  the  third 
quarter  of  the  nineteenth  century.  Then  ma- 
terialism was  aggressive  and  theology  was  rapidly 
being  destroyed  by  facts,  and  with  it  much  of  the 
innate  religious  convictions  of  men.    To  counter- 


PSYCHIC  PHENOMENA  5 

act  this,  some  of  the  religious,  Occult  Brother- 
hoods, notably  those  which  are  the  souls  of  Bud- 
dhism and  of  Brahminism,  respectively  (as  the 
Society  of  Jesus  is  the  soul  of  Catholicism),  re- 
solved to  use  their  knowledge  of  magic  for  the 
purpose  of  awakening  an  interest  in  matters  per- 
taining to  spirit.  Some  of  those  Occultists,  there- 
fore, attended,  subjectively,  test  seances,  espe- 
cially those  in  which  learned  occidental  scientists 
were  interested,  and  there  produced  a  higher  and 
a  more  marvellous  class  of  phenomena  than  is 
usually  now  seen.  This  was  convincing,  to  many 
of  the  investigators,  and  thus  an  impetus  was 
given  to  Spiritism,  which  is  destined  to  aid  in 
destroying  materialism. 

It  is  true  that,  through  their  investigations, 
many  individuals  have  suffered  and  others  will 
have  cause  to  suffer;  but  the  movement  was  not 
originated,  merely  accelerated,  by  the  Occultists 
referred  to,  on  the  theory  that  a  legitimate  end 
justifies  the  means — a  proposition  which  does  not 
meet  with  the  approval  of  all  esotericists. 

All  psychic  phenomenon  is  produced  through 
the  control  of  certain  natural  forces ;  whether  the 
producer  be  an  Occultist,  an  excarnated  man,  or 
an  elemental.  The  law,  of  course,  is  the  same 
and  is  sometimes  used  by  evil  entities,  selfishly  and 
malignantly;  often  by  practical  jokers,  mischiev- 
ously-^f or  death  does  not  change  the  nature  of  a 
man— and  still  more  often  by  the  mentally  vain- 


6  FRAGMENTS  OF  TRUTH 

glorious,  who  desire  to  be  worshipped  and  to  direct 
the  affairs  of  others — as  so  many  do  while  in- 
carnated; and,  occasionally,  by  Occultists  for  an 
unselfish  and  higher  purpose,  as  narrated. 

If  one  is  resolved  to  make  a  personal  investiga- 
tion of  these  dangerous  matters,  it  is  well  to  heed 
Saint  PauPs  warning  and  *^try  the  spirits."  One 
is  at  liberty  also  to  investigate  whether,  or  not, 
arsenic  destroys  life.  Some  persons  have  found 
that,  in  small  quantities,  it  does  not;  in  larger 
quantities,  it  does:  that  some  forms  of  life, 
human  or  otherwise,  resist  the  poison  better  than 
others.  One  may  adopt  the  conclusions  of  scien- 
tific investigators,  in  either  of  the  cases  cited,  or 
follow  to  satiety  the  rounds  of  phenomena  and  of 
experimentation. 

It  does  not  require  a  highly  trained  intelligence 
to  produce  phenomena  in  modern  Spiritism.  The 
essential  element  is  passivity — the  yielding  of 
one's  body,  brain  and  mind  to  any  chance  intelli- 
gence who  cares  to  manifest  through  those  cen- 
ter. The  word  mediumship  connotes  a  higher,  or 
a  stronger  control.  The  medium,  having  tem- 
porarily yielded  his  body  to  another  entity,  is 
seldom  in  a  position  to  observe  the  phenomena 
produced  through  it,  and,  therefore,  personally, 
can  learn  little  through  such  an  experience.  In- 
vestigators can,  through  physical  observation, 
watch  the  phenomenon  of  obsession  but  cannot 
actually  know  the  method  by  which  it  is  accom- 


PSYCHIC  PHENOMENA  7 

plished,  nor  the  identity  of  the  operator — unless 
the  investigator,  himself,  has  clairvoyant  powers 
to  observe,  on  the  subjective  side  of  life,  the 
operating  entity  and  his  procedure.  Therefore, 
the  investigation  of  psychic  phenomena,  by  either 
mediums,  or  non-clairvoyant  investigators,  is  un- 
reliable and  unsatisfactory. 

It  is  true  that  the  medium  may  excite  the  won- 
derment, or  the  admiration  of  some  people, 
through  the  display  of  his  easily  acquired  powers, 
or  make  a  precarious  living  in  that  manner,  or 
give  temporary  comfort  to  those  who  receive  mes- 
sages from  real,  or  pretended,  departed  friends; 
and,  if  any  of  these  is  the  motive  for  mediumship, 
then  no  one  has  the  right  to  question  it.  But  if 
the  effort  is  to  obtain  facts — ^ultimate  truth — a 
better  way  must  be  found. 

It  may  not  be  out  of  place  to  give  a  word  of 
caution  to  persons  now  contemplating  entering 
upon  mediumship.  The  history  of  Spiritism,  since 
its  recrudescence  in  1849  with  the  Fox  sisters,  is 
not  such  as  to  encourage  mediumship.  In  the  vast 
majority  of  cases,  in  which  genuine  phenomenon 
is  produced,  is  found  a  rapid  impairment  of  the 
body  and  of  the  intelligence  of  the  medium,  and 
the  greater  the  phenomena  produced  the  quicker 
the  deterioration.  Nor  is  physical  injury  the  only 
thing  to  be  feared;  for  often,  with  the  bodily 
havoc,  there  is  an  equal  moral  degeneration. 
The  reason  for  this  is  not  hard  to  understand 


8  FRAGMENTS  OF  TRUTH 

when  it  is  learned  how  phenomenon  is  produced. 

The  law  of  psychic  phenomenon,  as  observed 
from  the  occult  side,  is:  Phenomenon  is  pro- 
duced hy  the  self-directed  magnetism  of  the 
operator  acting  upon  the  tractable  magnetism  of 
the  body,  or  thing,  through  which  the  phenomenon 
occurs. 

The  human,  incarnated  ego  has  a  physical  body 
which  it  moves  at  will.  The  ego  is  a  more  in- 
tangible entity  than  its  body.  How,  then,  can  it 
control  its  physical  counterpart? 

The  Occultist  answers,  through  the  red  cor- 
puscles, or  magnetic  portion  of  the  blood.  The 
magnetic  force  of  the  ego,  acting  upon  the  mag- 
netism of  the  blood,  forces  the  blood  magnetism 
over  selected  nerves  causing  them  to  automatically 
act  upon  the  muscles ;  and  these,  in  turn,  upon  the 
bones  and  flesh.  Thus  an  arm  is  raised  or 
lowered. 

Again :  apply  this  law  to  moving  a  table.  The 
particles  composing  that  piece  of  furniture  are 
held  together  by  the  magnetism  that  is  inherent 
in  the  atoms  composing  the  wood.  If  the  wood 
were  completely  demagnetized,  disintegration 
would  take  place  and  the  table  would  crumble  into 
finest  powder.  The  man  not  only  controls  his 
own  magnetism,  arm  and  hand,  but  also  the 
tractable  magnetism  of  the  atoms  of  the  table, 
and  thus  there  is  exerted  magnetic  and  mechanical 
force,  controlled  by  mind  or  will. 


PSYCHIC  PHENOMENA  9 

When  the  ego  loses,  or  lays  down,  its  physical 
vehicle,  it  is  still  an  intangible,  magnetic  entity 
and  uses  the  same  law  in  producing  physical 
phenomena.  If  it  desires  to  move  a  table  and  is 
strong  enough  to  do  so — for  there  is  a  difference 
in  mental  strength  between  egos  both  incarnated 
and  excarnated — it  uses  its  own  magnetism  to 
control  the  magnetism  of  the  atoms  of  the  table, 
causing  it  to  move.  If  the  excarnated  ego  has  a 
medium  to  use  in  the  experiment,  it  uses  the  body 
of  the  medium  in  the  same  manner  as  it  formerly 
used  its  own.  Or,  the  excarnated  ego,  not  being 
sufficiently  strong  in  itself,  may  draw  upon  the 
magnetism  of  the  medium  and  of  any  negative  in- 
vestigators present;  and,  by  the  absorption  of 
such  extraneous  magnetism,  acquire  sufficient 
force  to  move  the  table.  It  is  this  constant  vam- 
pirization  of  the  magnetism  of  the  medium  which 
depletes  his  body;  and  it  is  the  lack  of  magnetism 
in  the  medium  which  prompts  him  to  resort  to 
fraud  when  unable  to  furnish  the  obsessing  entity 
the  requisite  force  to  produce  the  phenomena. 
This  explains  why  different  persons  get  differ- 
ent results  from  the  same  medium  at  various 
times,  as  witness  Slade,  Paladino  and  hosts  of 
others. 

The  investigator  is  not  without  danger  also, 
though  to  a  less  degree  than  the  medium.  A 
trained,  positive  mind  is  seldom  influenced  at  the 
beginning  of  such  investigations.    It  will  be  on 


10  FRAGMENTS  OF  TRUTH 

guard  and  naturally  critical,  as  scientific  agnos- 
ticism generally  is.  As  long  as  it  remains  positive, 
it  is  comparatively  safe;  but  no  mind,  at  this 
period  of  our  evolution,  is  continually  positive. 
Business  complications,  family  cares,  overwork, 
sickness  or  indisposition  all  interact  on  mind  and 
body  and  produce,  or  intensify,  negativeness. 
When  negative,  even  a  strong  mind  is  vulnerable 
by  psychic  forces.  For,  be  it  remembered,  the 
influence  of  the  seance  room  does  not  cease  with 
the  closing  of  its  doors.  The  entities  which  are 
attracted  to  a  center  of  that  kind  will  attach  them- 
selves to  an  investigator  and  seek  to  influence 
him  in  his  own  home,  or  elsewhere,  and  await  their 
opportunity  in  that  regard.  For  this  reason  al- 
most all  investigators  are,  in  a  measure,  sooner 
or  later  affected  by  the  influences  they  study. 

This  is  noticeable,  even  with  leading  scientists 
and  trained  minds,  who,  after  years  of  research 
along  these  lines,  accept  evidence,  as  conclusive, 
which,  in  the  beginning  of  their  investigations, 
they  would  have  entirely  rejected — evidence  which, 
in  their  professional  work,  they  would  exclude. 
Under  the  influences  brought  to  bear  upon  them  by 
the  disembodied  entities,  their  minds  seem  to  lose 
discerning  power,  and  the  relationship  between 
cause  and  effect.  And  this  should  not  be  a  cause 
of  Wonderment  to  those  who  have  given  any  atten- 
tion to  the  power  of  suggestion.  An  ego  loses 
nothing  of  its  mental  power  by  giving  up  its  body. 


PSYCHIC  PHENOMENA  11 

It  can  therefore  mentally  suggest  to  another  ego, 
either  in  or  out  of  a  physical  body. 

A  constantly  repeated  suggestion  is  like  the 
dripping  of  water  on  a  stone,  it  wears  out  op- 
position, and,  in  time,  the  suggestion  is  accepted 
wholly,  or  in  part.  Fortunately,  for  humanity,  all 
disembodied  spirits  are  not  malignant.  They  are 
like  humanity,  as  we  see  it  in  daily  life — ^miuus 
their  physical  bodies.  Therefore  they  are  ac- 
tuated by  ordinary,  human  impulses  and  must  be 
judged  solely  from  this  viewpoint.  For  ex- 
ample : 

A  propagandist  is  a  fanatic,  whether  incarnated, 
or  excamated.  If  he  were  a  Spiritist  in  earthlife 
he  would  naturally  continue  persistently  in  his 
work  after  death.  If  he  could  convince  a  noted 
scientist,  writer,  speaker  or  statesman,  he  would 
spare  no  effort  to  accomplish  his  purpose,  because, 
through  such  a  convert,  many  other  proselytes 
would  be  made  to  his  cause. 

On  the  subjective  plane  there  are  good,  bad  and 
indifferent  entities  and  no  one  can  foretell  the 
character  of  the  mind  one  may  contact  during 
psychic  investigation.  It  is  not  in  accordance  with 
experience,  in  such  matters,  to  say  that  each  mind 
will  attract  to  itself  only  such  minds  as  are  in 
consonance  with  its  own  character.  The  insane 
asylums  are  filled  with  negatively  good  people  who 
adorned  family  and  social  life  before  they  were 
obsessed.    Nor  is  it  to  be  understood  that  in  all 


12  FRAGMENTS  OF  TRUTH 

such  cases  their  insanity  was  produced  through 
the  study  of  psychism.  Negative  persons  are 
always  in  danger  of  psychic  influences  but  are 
more  apt  to  escape  them  if  they  ignore  that  realm 
than  if  they  voluntarily  intrude  upon  it.  It  is 
true  that  minds,  of  similar  natures,  are  attracted 
to  each  other  on  the  subjective,  the  objective  and 
the  interblended  planes.  And,  while  our  friends, 
in  physical  life,  may  be  similar,  in  a  measure,  to 
ourselves,  yet  it  is  also  true  that  we  sometimes 
suffer  from  undesired  contact  with  criminals — and 
the  same  is  true  in  the  astral  world.  In  neither 
of  the  cases  cited,  do  we  know  of  the  danger  until 
after  the  damage  is  done. 

Possession  and  obsession  are  but  varying  de- 
grees of  the  same  condition — the  partial,  or  com- 
plete control  of  one  mind  or  body  by  another 
mind.  And  it  may  be  interesting,  viewed  from 
the  subjective  side  of  life,  to  see  how  this  is  ac- 
complished. The  obsessing  entity  approaches  its 
victim  and  studies  his  character — ^which  is  in- 
dicated by  the  victim's  aura  and  the  pictures  con- 
tained therein.  The  obsessor  works  upon  the 
victim's  weaknesses.  If  one  of  those  weaknesses 
is  vanity,  then  it  flatters  him  and  tells  the  victim 
what  a  great  ego  he  is  and  how  he  has  been  se- 
lected to  be  a  messenger  to  the  people — to  teach 
new  and  greater  truths  to  the  world.  Or,  if  love 
is  his  vulnerable  side,  then  the  victim's  love  nature 
is  appealed  to  and  the  obsessor  poses  as  a  child, 


PSYCHIC  PHENOMENA  13 

a  parent,  or  a  lover;  and,  through  the  victim's 
human  emotions,  wins  his  confidence.  The  mes- 
sage may  be  conveyed  to  the  victim  through  a 
medium,  ouija  board,  or  through  mental  sugges- 
tion, but,  slowly,  as  the  snake  approaches  the 
charmed  bird,  the  obsessor  draws  nearer  to  its 
victim  until,  at  length,  the  two  auras  blend.  Little 
by  little  the  victim's  hand  and  arm  may  be  con- 
trolled, as  in  automatic  writing,  until  soon,  if  the 
practice  is  persisted  in,  the  mind,  will  and  body  of 
the  victim  comes  under  the  dominion  of  the  ob- 
sessor to  do  with  as  it  wills.  Then,  when  the 
obsessor  desires  to  use  the  body  of  its  victim,  it 
overpowers  and  crowds  out  the  ego  and  usurps 
his  rightful  place.  Commencing  as  subjective 
hypnotism  it  ends  too  frequently  in  insanity. 

Obsession  may  be  guarded  against  by  observ- 
ing a  few  common-sense  rules.  First,  never  under- 
take psychic  investigation  until  duly  equipped  for 
the  work.  The  proper  method  of  preparation  will 
be  given  later. 

Second,  cultivate  a  positive,  mental  attitude  at 
all  times.  This  does  not  mean  to  be  aggressive, 
but  to  have  a  calm  reserve  and  watchfulness  of  all 
mental  processes.  Never  drift  mentally ;  but,  con- 
sciously direct  the  mind  along  any  selected  line  of 
thought.  In  other  words,  practise  concentration 
at  all  times. 

Third,  learn  to  practise  self-control  and  then 
no  one  else  can  ever  control  you. 


14  FRAGMENTS  OF  TRUTH 

Fourth,  put  aside  tlie  fear  of  being  controlled, 
and  never  doubt  your  own  ability  to  protect  your- 
self;  fear  lowers  the  vibration  of  one's  aura  and 
renders  one  more  negative. 

The  investigation  of  psychic  phenomena  has  not 
produced  unalloyed  evil.  Pioneers  always  pay  the 
price  of  leadership,  while  those  who  follow,  reap 
the  benefits.  During  the  last  fifty  years,  humanity, 
as  a  whole,  has  benefited  through  the  investiga- 
tion of  psychism,  for,  by  an  overwhelming  pre- 
ponderance of  evidence,  it  has  been  established 
that  the  human  personality  survives  bodily  death. 
And,  while  this  does  not  prove  immortality,  it 
lays  the  foundation  for  it.  It  is  only  logical  to 
infer  that  if  the  mind  persists  independently  of 
the  body,  even  for  a  brief  time,  then,  unless  some 
other  cause  intervenes,  it  may  persist  indefinitely 
— and  this  is  in  perfect  accord  with  Occult  Phi- 
losophy, which  teaches  that  as  long  as  man,  by  con- 
scious effort,  seeks  evolvement,  he  will  be  im- 
mortal ;  and  that  only  devolvement,  or  stagnation, 
will  destroy  his  identity. 

A  further  benefit  has  come  to  the  Occident, 
through  the  investigation  of  psychic  phenomena, 
and  that  is  the  removal  of  the  fear  of  death.  The 
old  theology,  of  the  West,  painted  death  so  hor- 
ribly, and  so  forbiddingly  described  an  inane 
Heaven  and  a  gruesome  Hell,  that  both  the  transi- 
tion and  the  post-mortem  states  of  existence  filled 
one  with  fear.    Man  is  prone  to  believe  that  which 


PSYCHIC  PHENOMENA  15 

he  desires  to  believe,  and  many  men  gladly  ac- 
cepted the  alternative  view  of  the  materialist — 
that  death  was  annihilation.  But  now  the  Occident 
begins  to  know  what  the  Occultist  has  always 
known,  that  death  is  but  a  change  of  consciousness 
—a  passing  from  a  denser  into  a  finer  form  of 
matter. 

There  is,  undoubtedly,  much  of  value  to  be 
learned  through  the  proper  study  of  psychism, 
but,  so  far,  the  results  seem  negligibly  small  com- 
pared with  the  effort  and  the  cost — ^not  only  dur- 
ing the  last  seventy  years,  but  through  all  the 
weary  centuries  of  man's  evolution  on  this  planet 
— for  we  are  still  but  tasting  the  old  wine  from 
new  bottles. 

Physicists  have  carefully  investigated  modern 
necromancy,  but  have  any  new  laws  of  physics 
been  revealed  to,  or  through,  them?  Chemists 
have  investigated,  but  has  the  world  been  enriched 
through  new  facts  revealed  to  them  by  subjective 
entities  ?  In  turn  all  the  learned  professions,  arts 
and  sciences  have  furnished  votaries  to  the  cult, 
but  the  spirits  have  added  but  little  to  the  store 
of  human  knowledge.    Why? 

We  have  collected  an  amazing  mass  of  platitudes 
and  of  chatter,  but  no  substantial  revelations. 
Why? 

Is  it  because  man  becomes  less  intelligent  as  he 
gains  experience  and  broadens  his  vision? 

That  is  not  in  accordance  with  past  observa- 


16  FRAGMENTS  OF  TRUTH 

tions.  The  channel  of  communication  between 
the  two  worlds  seems  to  be  open,  and  no  pro- 
hibition seems  placed  on  spirits  to  speak  either 
wisely,  or  foolishly.  In  the  absence  of  any  other 
satisfactory  answer  to  these  questions,  may  we 
not  accept,  as  a  possible  explanation,  the  teachings 
of  Occultism,  on  this  subject? 

Occultists  say  that  when  a  man  dies  he  is  drawn 
by  gravic  force  to  that  state,  plane  or  subjective 
world,  corresponding  to  his  general  vibration — or 
character.  That  the  less  developed  characters  and 
intelligences  are,  therefore,  earthbound,  because 
the  first  subjective  plane  is  denser  than  the  others. 
The  more  highly  developed  man,  therefore,  quickly 
passes  through  the  first  subjective  plane  to  other 
and  better  states,  leaving  the  undeveloped  men 
and  ^* angel  guides,''  to  contact  this  world  of  ours 
and  to  blindly  lead  the  blind. 

Is  it  not  possible,  then,  to  reach  higher  in- 
telligences, to  contact  finer,  inner  worlds  and  to 
gain  valuable  information! 

The  Occultist  would  answer,  yes.  There  is 
always  a  proper  and  an  improper  way  of  doing 
everything,  and  there  is  a  successful  and  an  un- 
successful method  of  studying  psychism — of  in- 
vestigating psychic  phenomena. 

There  has  always  been  a  higher  and  a  lower 
Occultism,  a  greater  and  a  lesser  magic.  Aaron 
had  studied  this  subject  well  and  did  not  hesitate 
to    compete    with   the    Egyptian   Magicians    of 


PSYCHIC  PHENOMENA  17 

Pharaoh's  Court,  and,  by  reason  of  his  greater 
knowledge,  overpowered  them. 

By  the  study  of  Occultism,  the  occult  may  be 
mastered.  All  explorers,  who  go  into  an  unknown 
country,  first  seek  to  learn  what  they  can  about 
that  country — and,  particularly,  the  dangers  to  be 
encountered  there.  Then,  protecting  themselves, 
as  best  they  can,  and,  having  made  all  provisions 
that  foresight  may  suggest,  they  enter  upon  their 
quest.  A  like  procedure  is  a  sensible  one  in  the 
study  of  psychism — or  lesser  magic;  but,  probably 
the  unwise  will,  in  the  future,  as  in  the  past,  rush 
in  where  the  wiser  ones  cautiously  tread. 

Before  a  student  of  Occultism  enters  upon  an  in- 
vestigation of  necromancy,  and  of  other  branches 
of  lesser  magic — for  there  are  other  branches — 
he  first  studies  the  art  of  concentration.  Haying 
the  theory  well  fiLxed  in  his  mind,  he  commences 
the  practice  of  specialized  concentration  upon  the 
free  Cosmic  Forces  which  surround  him — ^par- 
ticularly the  positive  force  of  Cosmic  Blue.  The 
correct  shade  of  this  color  can  be  seen  in  the 
current  leaping  from  pole  to  pole  in  a  static 
machine,  or  where  the  trolley  makes  an  imperfect 
contact  with  the  wire.  As  has  been  shown  more 
fully  in  **The  History  and  Power  of  Mind,"  con- 
centrating upon  a  Cosmic  Force  draws  that  Force 
into  the  human  aura.  If  the  Force  is  of  higher 
vibration  than  the  aura,  it  will  raise  the  vibration 
of  the  aura  to  its  own  rate.    No  malignant  or  ig- 


18  FRAGMENTS  OF  TRUTH 

norant  entity  ever  vibrates  as  high  as  the  color 
mentioned,  therefore,  it  would  be  as  impossible  for 
an  entity  to  obsess  a  person  whose  aura  vibrates 
that  color  as  it  would  be  for  glass  to  cut  a 
diamond — for  the  higher  vibration  repels  the 
lower,  and  even  Paul  became  blind  in  the  presence 
of  an  Angelic  Being. 

The  student  whose  aura  is  normally  vibrating 
electric  blue,  is  not  only  invulnerable  to  psychic 
influences,  but  is  prepared  to  contact  the  higher 
planes  of  the  inner  life  which  correspond  to  that 
color — by  reason  of  synchronous  vibrations. 

The  next  step  for  the  student  is  to  develop  in- 
dependent clairvoyance  and  clairaudience,  by  con- 
centrating upon  the  electric  Blue  Force,  before 
mentioned,  and  later,  upon  the  Yellow  Cosmic 
Force.  When  these  Forces  are  condensed  in  the 
two  ganglia  of  the  brain,  known  respectively  as  the 
pineal  gland  and  the  pituitary  body,  the  vibration 
of  these  ganglia  is  raised  until  they  function  as 
inner  vision  and  inner  hearing. 

Having  acquired  the  ability  to  see  the  inner 
worlds,  the  student  now  looks  down  upon  the  first 
subjective  plane  and  studies  the  psychic  forces 
there  at  work — much  as  a  person  looks  down  from 
an  upper  window  on  the  street  below  and  watches 
the  *  *  madding  crowd. ' ' 

Stepping  behind  the  scenes  and  looking  through 
the  eyes  of  the  student  of  Occultism  at  the  actors — 
producers  of  psychic  phenomena — ^and  their  work, 


PSYCHIC  PHENOMENA  19 

the  first  thing  that  impresses  one  is  the  seeming 
inextricable  blending  of  truth  and  falsehood.  A 
total  falsehood  soon  dies,  though  it  may  cause 
much  destruction  and  sorrow  during  its  brief  life. 
But  a  lie,  which  is  half  a  truth,  gains  power  and 
vitality  by  reason  of  its  truthful  element;  and, 
therefore,  its  life  is  longer  and  more  dangerous. 

The  lowest  class  associated  with  Spiritism  is 
composed  of  tricksters,  who  pose  as  mediums,  and, 
through  sleight  of  hand,  or  mechanical  contriv- 
ances, beguile  the  untrained  investigator  until 
they  are  either  self-exposed,  by  carelessness,  or 
crude  effort,  or  are  exposed  by  a  careful  observer. 
These  imitations  of  mediums  bring  derision  to  the 
movement,  which  they  misrepresent,  and  but  little 
profit  to  themselves — since  they  are  soon  driven 
out  of  town,  as  common  frauds,  by  the  authorities ; 
and,  becoming  compulsive  itinerants,  never  again 
acquire  a  serious  following. 

The  next  class  are  real  mediums  who  are  con- 
stantly, or  intermittently,  controlled  by  disem- 
bodied entities.  But  here  again  truth  and  false- 
hood blend,  for  many  mediums,  abandoned  by  their 
former  controls,  or,  unable,  for  a  time,  through 
physical  depletion,  to  furnish  the  controlling  entity 
with  the  requisite  magnetism,  resort  to  fraud  to 
hold  their  followers.  This  is  so  confusing  to  the 
non-clairvoyant  investigator,  who  is  attracted  by 
the  actual  phenomena  and  repelled  by  the  fraud, 
that  he  often  abandons  the  entire  study  in  disgust. 


20  FRAGMENTS  OF  TRUTH 

Many  controls  are  what  they  claim  to  be,  In- 
dians, criminals  and  animalized  men  and  women 
without  physical  bodies.  Some  are  of  the  ordinary 
run  of  humanity,  who  have  never  progressed  much 
along  intellectual,  or  ethical  lines,  in  their  late 
lives.  Others  are  materialists  who  are  earth- 
bound,  because  of  their  mode  of  thought,  but  help 
to  compose  that  motley  throng  who  cannot  rise  to 
higher  planes  and  are  contented  with  using  the 
minds  and  bodies  of  those  left  on  earth. 

Occasionally,  there  are  sincere  souls,  who,  un- 
wisely, seek  to  use  a  medium  to  send  comfort  to 
the  dear  ones  left  behind ;  but,  whenever  this  effort 
is  made,  it  is  usually  followed  later  by  messages 
from  impersonators,  with  ulterior  motives.  And 
last  and  worst  of  all,  are  the  various  grades  of 
devolving  egos,  those  who  are  hopelessly  depraved 
and  destructive,  who  are  on  the  downward  path  to 
annihilation,  for  all  destructive  centers,  sooner  or 
later,  destroy  themselves. 

When  watching  the  kinds  of  phenomena  pro- 
duced, one  is  again  confronted  by  the  real  and  the 
imitation,  the  true,  the  false  and  the  compounding 
of  the  two ;  and  this  is  particularly  the  case  during 
the  examination  of  the  first  four  of  the  enumerated 
classes. 

Inspirational  writing  and  speaking  belong  to  the 
highest  order  of  psychic  phenomena,  because  they 
blend  into  true  inspiration;  and  here  the  line  of 
distinction  sometimes  becomes  very  thin.    In  these 


PSYCHIC  PHENOMENA  21 

cases  the  intelligence  of  the  medium  must  co- 
operate with  a  secondary  intelligence,  not  neces- 
sarily that  of  a  spirit,  or  of  an  individual,  for,  in 
true  inspiration,  a  connection  between  the  medium 
and  the  Universal  Consciousness  may  be  made. 
Most  of  the  sacred  writings  have  come  to  the 
world  in  this  way — and,  therefore,  are  called  in- 
spired. 

Some  one,  keenly  sensitive  along  spiritual  lines, 
receives  from  Divine  Consciousness — God — cer- 
tain ideas,  or  sometimes  words,  and  these  are 
transmitted  to  others  through  speech,  or  writing. 
And  this,  in  a  lesser  degree,  is  true  of  all  the 
greatest  writers  of  the  world.  They  are  people 
who  have  not  necessarily  received  their  ideas  from 
other  intelligences,  but  who  have  been  able  to  at- 
tach themselves  subconsciously  to  the  Universal 
Consciousness  and  to  receive  from  It  ideas, 
phrases  and  sometimes  whole  treatises. 

For  example,  Tennyson  said  that  sometimes 
couplets  came  to  him  complete,  and  all  that  he  did 
was  to  commit  to  paper  that  which  floated  into  his 
mind  from  the  ether.  And  was  it  not  Byron  who 
said:  ^^I  lisped  in  numbers,  for  the  numbers 
came?'' 

This  does  not  necessarily  mean  that  those  poets 
were  communicating  with  spirits.  It  was  more 
probable  that  their  sub-conscious  minds  were  con- 
nected with  the  literary  current  in  the  Universal 
Consciousness  and,  through  It,  received  an  inflow 


22  FRAGMENTS  OF  TRUTH 

of  ideas ;  and,  their  minds  being  rhythmical,  they 
expressed  those  ideas  in  poetry.  This  kind  of  in- 
spiration is  much  more  rare  than  are  cases  in 
which  the  secondary  intelligence  is  that  of  an  in- 
'dividual. 

It  would  not  be  fair  to  discuss  psychic  phe- 
nomena unless  this  aspect  were  included  in  the 
discussion,  though,  strictly  speaking,  it  belongs  to 
higher  Magic,  or  Occultism.  The  mere  mention 
of  it,  as  a  possibility,  opens  the  door  to  subsequent 
imposition,  so  excamated  entities — spirits — ^may 
try  to  pose  as  Deity  and  impose  upon  sensitives 
who  are  experimenting  along  the  line  indicated. 

But  there  is  a  safeguard  for  the  student,  even 
though  he  be  not  an  independent  clairvoyant: 
In  true  inspiration  there  never  is  a  magnetic,  or 
psychic  control,  either  mental  or  physical.  True 
inspiration  is,  as  the  root  words  indicate,  a  breath- 
ing in,  an  absorption  of  ideas,  expressions,  or  both, 
and  there  is  no  danger  of  obsession ;  but,  instead, 
a  great  benefit  and  uplift  is  given  to  the  speaker, 
or  writer,  who  is  able  to  consciously  tap  Cosmic 
Consciousness,  for  his  source  of  supply.  And  it 
should  be  clearly  understood  that  the  tapping 
process  is  done  through  concentration,  effort  and 
intellectual  preparation.  It  is  not  a  gift  of  God 
to  be  bestowed  upon  passive,  negative,  ignorant 
individuals.  There  is  no  royal  road  to  inspiration, 
learning  and  success. 

In  Spiritism  the  large  majority  of  inspirational 


PSYCHIC  PHENOMENA  23 

writers  and  speakers  do  not  derive  their  power 
from  Cosmic  Consciousness  through  their  own 
efforts,  but,  passively  receive  it  from  excamated 
minds ;  and  this  invariably  leads  to  a  lower  form 
of  mediumship,  on  the  one  hand,  and  to  possession, 
or  obsession,  on  the  other. 

When  the  obsessing  entity  desires  to  use  the 
hand  and  arm  of  its  victim  for  automatic  writing, 
it  merely  crowds  out  the  medium's  ego,  from  that 
portion  of  his  body,  and  substitutes  its  own  mag- 
netic member  in  the  vacated  physical  arm  and 
hand  of  its  victim ;  and,  after  enveloping  the  body 
and  brain,  of  the  now  passive  medium,  with  its 
own  magnetism,  it  writes  whatsoever  it  will,  using 
the  borrowed  member  of  its  victim  as  if  it  were 
its  own. 

With  the  lower  order  of  so-called  inspirational 
speaking,  it  is  somewhat  different.  Here  it  is 
sometimes  possession  and  sometimes  obsession. 
When  possession,  the  *' Guide,"  surrounds,  or  en- 
velops, the  mind  and  body  of  the  medium  and 
impresses  such  thoughts  and  language  as  it  wishes 
to  convey,  while  in  obsession,  the  mind,  or  ego,  of 
the  medium  is  entirely  forced  out  of  his  body  and 
the  obsessor,  entering  it,  uses  it  temporarily, 
speaking  through  it  as  though  it  were  its  own. 

But  there  is  a  unique  group  of  cases,  which  is 
constantly  enlarging,  where  inspiration  is  self-en- 
gendered. The  subjective  mind  of  man  has  poten- 
cies and  potentialities  far  beyond  any  powers 


24  FRAGMENTS  OF  TRUTH 

active,  or  latent,  of  tlie  objective  mind.  As  man 
develops,  his  subjective  self  comes  more  and  more 
into  evidence,  and  when  he  has  gained  self-mas- 
tery, or  dominion  of  the  objective  self,  he  uses 
his  illimitable  storehouse  of  memory  and  of  knowl- 
edge along  any  desired  line.  At  this  point,  in  the 
race  development,  we  sometimes  see  fitful  evi- 
dences of  the  awakening  of  subjective  minds.  As 
a  source  of  inspiration  in  speaking,  it  usually 
manifests  by  impressing  its  objective  mind  with 
the  expressive  word,  apt  illustration,  or  correct 
explanation,  in  such  a  manner  that  often  the 
speaker  and  his  audience  realize  that  *^he  builded 
better  than  he  knew." 

In  writing,  the  subjective  mind,  at  times,  im- 
presses upon  its  objective  self  entire  plays,  poems 
and  stories.  Characters  seem  to  float  into  the  ob- 
jective consciousness,  not  as  mental  creations  but 
as  actual  human  beings.  And  here  again  let  it 
be  noted,  as  a  test  of  this  aspect  of  psychological 
power,  there  is  never  attached  any  extraneous, 
magnetic,  or  psychic  control,  either  mental  or 
physical. 

In  the  second  enumerated  group  of  phenomena 
— ^visions,  premonitions,  phantoms  and  phan- 
tasms— is  another  bewildering  mixture  of  mental 
auto  activity  and  induced  activity,  the  source  of 
which  is  varied.  Again  reverting  to  the  subjective 
mind,  it  is  found  that  it  plays  no  small  part  in 
premonitions  and  in  visions.    Coming  events,  both 


PSYCHIC  PHENOMENA  25 

good  and  evil,  cast  their  shadows  before,  because 
they  are  largely  self-created,  and  are  psychically 
attached  to  their  creators.  Having  originated  on 
the  mental  plane,  the  subjective  self  becomes  con- 
scious of  them  as  they  approach  materialization. 
Sometimes  the  subjective  mind  succeeds  in  im- 
planting, in  its  objective  mind,  a  picture  of  an 
approaching  event;  sometimes  it  is  merely  an  im- 
pression, more  often  merely  an  unformulated 
idea — or,  as  it  is  more  popularly  known,  a 
^^  hunch.'' 

Divine  Consciousness,  at  times,  in  a  man's  tran- 
quil moments,  and  often  when  he  is  passing  from, 
or  into,  sleep,  impresses  him  with  a  prophetic 
knowledge  of  matters  which  affect  him  directly  or 
indirectly.  These  impressions  may,  or  may  not, 
be  in  pictures,  and  are  never  accompanied  hy 
spirit  control.  In  both  classes  of  cases  mentioned 
the  vision,  or  the  premonition,  nearly  always  be- 
comes an  actuality,  in  time.  And  the  more  care- 
fully men  adapt  their  lives  to  this  source  of 
information,  the  greater  will  become  their  recep- 
tivity to  further  knowledge. 

The  denizens  of  the  deceptive  realm  also  pro- 
duce a  large  number  of  visions  and  premonitions 
which  beguile,  afflict  or  entertain,  psychic  inves- 
tigators, sensitives,  psychics  and  ultra  passive,  or 
negative  individuals.  Through  telepathy,  the  ex- 
carnated  entity  implants  pictures,  or  impressions, 
upon  the  unresisting  mind  of  its  victim.    In  fact, 


26  FRAGMENTS  OF  TRUTH 

M  is  often  by  such  means,  that  one's  attention  is 
at  first  attracted,  and,  later,  held  by  such  pictures, 
or  thoughts,  and  this  is  but  one  of  the  many  de- 
vices used  by  the  astral  charmer.  The  more  fre- 
quent the  practice,  the  weaker  becomes  the  will 
of  the  victim  and  the  stronger  the  power  of  the 
obsessor.  It  is  needless  to  add  that  such  visions 
and  premonitory  impressions  are  uncertain,  de- 
pending upon  the  good,  or  bad,  judgment,  and  the 
actual  information  of  the  entity  who  produces 
them. 

If  a  phantom  is  understood  to  be  a  fancied 
vision,  an  unreality,  a  thought  picture,  then  the 
sources  of  phantoms  are  many.  The  astral  world, 
the  first  subjective  plane,  is  a  limitless  picture 
gallery.  In  it  are  all  the  photographs  of  the  acts 
of  men.  These  pictures  float  into  the  vision  of  the 
sensitive,  the  negative  and  the  developing  psychic, 
and  are,  largely,  useless  time  killers.  To  indulge 
in  this  form  of  astral  moving  pictures,  is  but  to 
encourage  greater  passivity,  and  to  throw  open 
wider  the  doors  to  psychic  influences  of  the 
mediumship  sort.  These  influences  are  not  slow  in 
taking  advantage  of  such  opportunities  and  soon 
commence  to  implant,  through  their  power  of 
suggestion,  their  own  thought  pictures  into  the 
minds  of  such  sensitives,  changing  the  curious  in- 
vestigator into  a  conscious  or,  perhaps,  an  uncon- 
scious medium. 

There  are  also  phantoms  which  are  the  pictures 


PSYCHIC  PHENOMENA  27 

of  each  man's  individual  past,  photographed  in 
his  own  photosphere,  or  aura.  When  he  can, 
through  concentration  and  conscious  effort,  recall 
these  phantoms  he  can  connect  his  present  with 
his  past  and  wisely  build  his  future.  It  is  only 
an  independent  and  trained  clairvoyant  who  can 
always  distinguish  between  a  phantom  and  a 
phantasm. 

Among  Occultists  the  word  phantasm  has  grown 
to  mean  an  apparition,  a  subjective  entity,  an  ego 
without  its  body;  and  applies  to  certain  abnormal 
conditions  of  the  living  as  well  as  of  the  dead. 
The  most  frequent  cases  met  with,  are  tht)se  of 
persons  who  have  just  died,  or  who  have  died 
recently.  The  reason  for  this  is  that  the  excar- 
nated  ego  stands,  as  it  were,  in  the  doorway  be- 
tween the  two  worlds  and  functions,  in  a  measure, 
in  both.  Until  disintegration  of  the  body  has  pro- 
gressed to  where  the  form  has  largely  disap- 
peared, the  soul,  or  ego,  is  magnetically  attached 
to  it,  and  can,  if  mentally  strong,  draw  upon  the 
magnetism  of  its  body  and,  so  clothe  itself  with 
electrical  invisibles,  as  to  appear  to  a  psychic,  or 
to  a  normal  person  abnormally  passive  at  the 
moment. 

This  phenomenon  may  best  be  understood  when 
it  is  remembered  that  the  human  body  is  composed 
of  electrical  invisibles ;  and  when  enough  of  them 
are  condensed  and  arranged  together,  the  human 
form  is  produced.    Originally  the  incarnating  ego, 


28  FEAGMENTS  OF  TRUTH 

being  a  magnetic  center,  draws  the  electrical  in- 
visibles from  its  mother's  blood,  and  it  is  thus 
that  the  embryo  and  finally  the  fetus  are  formed. 
After  death,  as  the  decomposing  body  liberates 
these  electrical  invisibles,  they  can  be  magnetically 
attracted,  temporarily,  by  the  ego,  and  massed  so 
as  to  be  sensed,  or  seen,  upon  the  physical  plane. 

As  a  rough  illustration,  suppose  a  ray  of  sun- 
light were  permitted  to  enter  a  dark  room.  The 
slowly  floating  particles  of  dust  in  the  room  are 
invisible  until  the  ray  of  light  enters.  Then  the 
quickening  vibration  of  the  light  draws  and  con- 
denses the  unseen  particles  and  they  move  more 
rapidly  until  the  ray  of  light  is  clothed  with 
myriads  of  vibrating  particles. 

Sometimes  an  incarnated  ego,  burning  with  the 
desire  to  see  a  loved  one,  or  to  convey  a  message, 
unconsciously  slips  from  his  body,  and,  clothed 
with  its  magnetic  particles,  is  able  to  appear  to 
that  one  at  a  distant  place.  And  what  is  done 
unconsciously  by  the  uninstructed  ego,  is  con- 
sciously done  by  a  student  of  Occultism,  with  his 
own  mind  and  body;  and  may  be  done  by  a 
denizen  of  the  psychic  realm,  whose  body  has  long 
been  disintegrated,  by  vampirizing  a  medium,  or 
by  drawing  upon  the  magnetism  of  the  person  it 
obsesses.  Such  denizen  may  thus  procure  sufficient 
magnetic  invisibles  to  materialize  and  to  appear  to 
the  living,  for  some  sinister  motive  of  its  own.  And 
because  that  magnetic  form  is  but  temporary  and 


PSYCHIC  PHENOMENA  29 

can  be  shaped  at  will,  an  ^^ angel  guide"  is  able  to 
mask  as  a  friend,  or  relative,  and  to  deceive  any- 
one unless  that  one  should  be  an  independent 
clairvoyant. 

Because  certain  Occultists,  during  the  last 
quarter  of  the  nineteenth  century,  were  accus- 
tomed to  visit,  in  their  thought  bodies,  some  of 
their  students,  later  the  ** spirit  controls"  imitated 
the  Adepts  and  imposed  upon  some  of  the  less 
developed  students.  By  working  on  their  vanity, 
these  astral  imposters  directed  those  students  to 
found  scores  of  ''Occult  Brotherhoods,"  ''Secret 
Orders,"  and  "Hindoo  Cults."  Under  the  guid- 
ance of  their  directors,  those  students  filched  an- 
cient, honorable  names  for  their  bogus  organiza- 
tions and  deceived  hundreds  of  honest  seekers 
after  occult  truths.  A  teacher  of  higher  Occultism 
is  never  found  in  the  astral  deception  realm,  and 
those  who  believe  otherwise  will  eventually  find 
themselves  in  another  form  of  Spiritism. 

In  the  third  class  of  psychic  phenomena  are 
clairvoyance  and  clairaudience  and  here  again  are 
to  be  found  sunshine  and  shadow,  the  real  and  the 
imitation.  Sometimes  these  powers  develop  in 
normal  evolution  as  a  man  grows  in  character, 
knowledge  and  force.  And  it  is  just  in  accordance 
with  a  man's  rate  of  vibration,  that  these  powers 
develop  and  manifest.  Some  persons  are  able  to 
see  and  hear  only  on  the  first  subjective,  or 
psychic,  plane,  while  others  are  able  to  see  on  all 


30  FRAGMENTS  OF  TRUTH 

the  higher  planes  connected  with  this  planet.  It 
will  be  observed  that  here  the  action  is  personal 
and  the  functioning  is  due  entirely  to  the  will  of 
the  ego.  He  opens  and  shuts  his  inner  vision  as  he 
opens  and  shuts  his  physical  eyes.  In  such  cases 
as  these  the  vision  is  clear  and  accurate. 

But  there  is  also  a  false  clairvoyance  induced 
by  the  intervention  of  another's  will,  or  through 
mechanical  processes,  and  both  lead  to  the  same 
results — the  impressing  of  another's  thoughts 
upon  the  mind  of  the  experimentalist.  This  false 
clairvoyance  is  illustrated  first  in  mesmerism  and 
hypnotism.  The  operator,  whether  he  be  incar- 
nated, or  excarnated,  puts  his  subject  into  an  arti- 
ficial sleep  and  induces  an  abnormal  state  of 
consciousness.  This  is  not  true  clairvoyance  be- 
cause the  subject  does  not  function  through  his 
own  volition. 

During  an  artificial  sleep  of  this  kind,  the 
operator  may  force  the  subjective  mind  of  his  sub- 
ject from  its  body  and  send  it  to  any  point,  or 
place,  upon  the  earth;  and  while  the  subjective 
and  objective  minds  of  the  subject  are  thus  sep- 
arated, the  subjective  mind  *^ wirelesses"  to  its 
objective  mind  such  messages  and  describes  such 
scenes  as  the  operator  desires  or  suggests.  And 
the  objective  mind  of  the  subject,  who  is  still  in  its 
body,  repeats  the  messages  from  its  subjective 
mind  to  the  operator. 

Then   there    is    an   artificial    sleep    produced 


PSYCHIC  PHENOMENA  31 

through  what  is  called  self-induced  hypnosis ;  this 
is  when  an  experimentalist,  through  the  use  of  a 
crystal,  or  revolving  disks,  or  a  brilliant  object 
suspended  before  his  eyes,  produces  a  self -induced 
sleep.  While  in  this  abnormal  condition  the  body 
and  brain  of  the  experimentalist  becomes  an  easy 
prey  to  any  passing  entity  who  may  choose  to 
use  it,  and  the  scenes  that  he  describes  and  the 
messages  he  may  give,  while  under  this  influence, 
are  entirely  undependable  and  perhaps  absolutely 
false. 

A  third  method  of  producing  unnatural,  or  false 
clairvoyance  is  through  Yoga  practices,  which 
bring  about  physical  and  psychical  disturbances. 
This  is  done  by  changing  the  polarity  of  the  brain 
and  reversing  the  natural  circulation  of  the  blood. 
Here  again  there  is  a  lower  psychical  power  de- 
veloped, which  is  more,  or  less,  under  the  control 
of  the  experimentalist,  but  it  is  also  true  that  this 
practice  opens  the  way  for  other  entities  to  enter 
and  control  the  unhappy  victim — as  has  been  seen 
in  innumerable  cases  of  the  practitioners  of  that 
art  in  America. 

In  the  fourth  class  of  cases,  again  there  is  the 
usual  admixture  of  the  higher  and  the  lower 
magic;  this  is  called  psychic  healing.  The  Oc- 
cultist says  such  healing  comes  either  from  Divine 
Mind  as  an  automatic  response  to  the  intense  and 
continued  desire,  or  demand,  for  health  from  the 
invalid,  or,  from    some    conscious    and    expert 


32  FRAGMENTS  OF  TRUTH 

manipulator  of  the  Cosmic  Currents.  In  rare 
cases  they  may  be  directed  by  a  higher,  disem- 
bodied Intelligence  from  the  upper,  interior  planes 
of  being. 

It  is  true,  however,  that  the  denizens  of  the 
deceptive  realm  sometimes,  by  the  power  of  sug- 
gestion, cure  imaginary  diseases.  But  they  usually 
exact,  as  an  unmentioned  price  for  their  services, 
the  right  to  direct,  or  control,  that  individual  in 
the  future. 

The  fifth  class  of  cases,  physical  phenomena  and 
trance  mediumship,  is  usually  psychism  of  the 
lowest  order,  for  here  the  operators  are  generally 
earth-bound  spirits.  Trumpet  sounding,  table  tip- 
ping, slate  writing,  fortune  telling,  messages, 
materialization,  etc.  are  produced  by  astral  entities 
using  the  body  and  the  magnetism  of  the  medium, 
or  of  those,  combined  with  the  collective  mag- 
netism of  the  investigators  present. 

There  are  rare  cases,  however,  where  such 
phenomena  may  be  duplicated  by  an  embodied  Oc- 
cultist, using  elementals  for  his  purpose.  But  no 
person,  unless  affected  by  psychic  influences,  could 
imagine  a  higher  intelligence  condescending  to  in- 
dulge in  such  astral  legerdemain  and  horseplay  as 
are  seen  in  many  seances. 

In  the  case  of  messages,  they  are  both  unre- 
liable as  to  source,  and  undependable  as  to  fact. 
It  is  true  that  in  some  of  the  so-called  ^*test  mes- 
sages,'' facts,  supposed  to  be  known  only  to  the  in- 


PSYCHIC  PHENOMENA  33 

vestigator,  and  to  the  excarnated  person,  are  some- 
times given  to  prove  the  identity  of  the  sender  of 
the  message.  But  this  is  not  necessarily  con- 
clusive evidence,  because  the  communicating,  dis- 
embodied entity  can  read  in  the  subjective  mind  of 
the  investigator  the  facts  it  is  narrating  to  prove 
its  identity. 

The  subjective  mind  is  the  abode  of  permanent 
memory.  All  experiences,  all  impressions,  all 
thoughts  are  photographed  therein.  A  circum- 
stance may  pass  from  out  the  conscious  memory 
of  the  objective  mind,  but  remains  a  sub-conscious 
picture  within  the  higher  mind.  So,  the  apparent 
*Hest"  is  no  test  at  all,  and  the  only  reason  people 
are  impressed  with  such  phenomena  is  because 
they  have  not  studied  psychology. 

A  little  knowledge  of  Occult  Philosophy  would 
soon  reveal  the  apparently  marvellous  messages 
and  psychic  phenomena  to  be  very  ordinary  but 
dangerous  psychic  intoxication.  Old  wine  in  new 
bottles.  Is  it  not  almost  time  for  a  voluntary 
psychic  prohibition  movement? 


CHAPTER  TWO 

MIRACLES 

The  Christian  nations  are,  or  were,  until  com- 
paratively recent  times,  accustomed  to  think  of 
miracles  as  the  production  of  phenomena  by  super- 
natural means. 

This  view  was  due,  doubtless,  to  two  causes: 
first,  that  the  majority  of  people  were  ignorant 
of  the  cause  of  the  phenomena,  which  we  call 
miracles,  and,  second,  our  teachers,  the  priests, 
to  give  additional  glory  to  the  Founder  of  their 
religion,  were  accustomed  to  teach  that  His  acts 
.were  above  nature  and  that  He  was  superior  to 
His  creations  and  could  set  at  naught  nature's 
laws  whenever  He  willed  to  do  so.  But,  those  who 
are  more  widely  read,  those  who  have  studied  com- 
parative religions,  those  who  know  the  lives  of 
the  Occultists  of  the  past,  realize  that  miracles 
did  not  commence  with  Jesus  of  Nazareth,  nor  will 
they  end  with  the  Christian  Church. 

The  orthodox  churches,  as  well  as  the  Christian 
Scientists  and  kindred  cults,  of  the  present  day, 
assume  that  miracles,  now,  as  in  the  past,  are 
produced  by  supernatural  means;  that  is  to  say, 
through,  or  by  God;  and  that  He  destroys  disease, 
performs  cures  and  works  other  miracles. 

34 


MIRACLES  35 

This  is  but  a  repetition  of  the  old  mediaeval  and 
post-mediaeval  thought,  taking  a  slightly  different 
form,  and  is  almost  as  erroneous  as  was  the  ag- 
nostic who,  when  asked  to  define  a  miracle,  said : 
**It  is  an  unusual  phenomenon  which  never  oc- 
curred.'* 

The  oriental  view  of  a  miracle  is,  that  it  is  the 
production  of  phenomena  by  superhuman  means ; 
the  distinction  being  drawn  between  supernatural 
and  superhuman.  Some  of  the  modern  students 
of  Occultism  adopt  this  view,  believing  that  any 
one  who  can  cause  phenomena,  or  perform  a 
miracle,  is  one  who  has  more  than  human  powers. 
The  itinerant  religious  teacher  in  the  orient,  fol- 
lowing an  immemorial  custom,  first  attracts  his 
audience  and  then  produces  phenomena  as  his  cre- 
dentials. This  procedure  is  equivalent  to  saying 
to  his  hearers : 

*^I  am  a  miracle  worker.  I  have  more  than 
human  powers,  therefore  I  have  more  than  human 
knowledge,  consequently,  I  am  worthy  to  be 
listened  to." 

It  is  rather  a  natural  position  to  take.  When 
the  Nazarene  went  before  the  Jews,  certain  of  the 
Scribes  and  of  the  Pharisees  said  to  Him: 
** Master,  we  would  see  a  sign  from  Thee." 

They  had  been  accustomed  to  have  teachers 
along  ethical,  or  philosophical,  lines,  produce 
phenomena  as  evidence  of  their  competency  to 
teach.    If  the  Occident  had  adopted  this  most  ex- 


36  FRAGMENTS  OF  TRUTH 

cellent  custom  it  would  have  been  saved  from  most 
of  the  innumerable  teachers  of  the  countless  cults 
by  whom  it  has  been  perplexed. 

The  real  religious  leaders  of  the  world  have 
always  had  knowledge  and  power  above  those  of 
their  contemporaries,  as  the  results  of  their 
evolvement  have  shown. 

As  examples:  Moses,  Joshua,  Elijah,  Elisha, 
Daniel,  Jesus,  all  Jesus'  disciples,  Apollonius 
of  Tyana,  Simon,  the  Roman  Catholic  Saints,  the 
Hindoo  Priests  and  others,  all  have  produced  phe- 
nomena now  called  miracles. 

In  the  human  heart  there  is  always  the  un- 
uttered,  if  not  expressed,  demand :  *  ^  Show  us  your 
credentials. ' '  The  leaders  of  several  modern  cults 
answered  this  demand  by  healing  illnesses  which 
could  not  be  cured  by  the  medical  profession  or 
by  the  pastors  and  priests  of  other  churches. 
These  demonstrations  of  power  were  not  only  an- 
swers to  the  cry  in  the  hearts  for  a  **sign,"  but 
challenged  the  religious  world,  saying  in  sub- 
stance : 

**  These  miracles  are  our  credentials,  and  our 
mission  is  to  bring  new  truths  to  the  world.  Come 
and  accept  our  teachings,  which  carry  with  them 
healing  powers.'* 

Then  the  members  of  the  older  churches  said 
to  their  leaders:  ** Jesus  and  His  disciples  per- 
formed miracles  and  some  of  the  members  of  the 
new  cults  produce  many  of  a  like  kind :  how  is  it 


MIRACLES  37 

that  you  are  unable  to  manifest  the  same  power  ? ' ' 

A  few  sporadic  efforts  have  been  made,  by  some 
Protestant  denominations,  to  answer  this  question 
by  demonstrating  along  similar  lines,  but,  so  far, 
with  negligible  results. 

The  Catholic  Church,  on  the  other  hand,  has 
been  more  fortunate  in  this  respect,  for  it  always 
has  justified  its  mission  by  its  miracles.  Those 
members  who  performed  them  were,  in  due  time, 
canonized — and  even  their  relics  are  still  supposed 
to  carry  power.  A  novena  to  Saint  Joseph  often 
brings  results,  for  which  he  and  the  Church  both 
receive  due  credit — though  the  Occultist  would 
give  another  explanation  of  the  prayer  and  an- 
swer, as  that  of  mental  demand  and  supply. 

Each  system  has  its  own  explanation  of  the 
cause  of  phenomena — though  the  phenomena  are 
identical.  But,  no  matter  what  the  various  teach- 
ers, or  their  followers,  may  say,  it  must  be  true 
that  where  identical  phenomena  are  produced,  the 
same  causes  must  have  been  put  into  operation; 
and  it  is  illogical  to  accept  the  miracles  of  one 
church  and  reject  the  same  kind  from  another. 

The  Jews  had  a  long  line  of  miracle  workers, 
and  when  Jesus  came  and  performed  His  miracles 
it  was  equivalent  to  saying:  ^*I  justify  my  mission 
with  phenomena."  And  the  Jews  had  to  either 
admit  He  was  a  legitimate  teacher  of  a  new 
presentation  of  truth  or  disqualify  Him  by  say- 
ing: **He  hath  Beelzebub,  and  by  the  Prince  of 


38  FRAGMENTS  OF  TRUTH 

Devils  casteth  he  out  devils."  And  the  Christians 
learned  that  lesson  well,  for  when  they  became 
powerful  and  other  schools  attempted  to  perform 
miracles,  they  also  said:  **We  do  them  through 
the  grace  of  God,  but  they  through  Beelzebub." 
And  so  it  has  been  handed  down  in  the  Western 
World  that  the  orthodox  do  their  works  by  virtue 
of  God,  while  the  heterodox  do  theirs  through  the 
aid  of  His  antagonist. 

Simon  performed,  through  magic,  many  phe- 
nomena as  wonderful  as  did  Jesus,  or  His  dis- 
ciples; but  Simon  was  called  a  black  magician. 
Today  some  wonder  workers  claim  to  produce 
their  phenomena  entirely  through  the  love  and 
presence  of  God,  while  they  say  other  schools 
produce  theirs  through  malicious,  animal  mag- 
netism— ^whieh  is  nothing  more  or  less  than  Beelze- 
bub under  a  new  name. 

It  is  this  jealousy  among  wonder  workers  which 
often  perverts  their  judgment.  And  the  investi- 
gator of  the  tenets  of  a  cult  cannot  safely  accept 
the  conclusions  of  a  miracle  man  solely  because  he 
is  a  wonder  worker ;  for  the  connection  between  his 
words  and  works  is  often  remote  and  illogical. 
The  only  safe  method,  therefore,  to  pursue,  is  to 
investigate  all  similar  phenomena,  deduce  from 
them  a  law  and  then  ascertain  if  the  philosophy  of 
the  miracle  man  is  in  harmony  with  that  law. 

One  must  make  due  allowance  for  the  play  of 
human  imagination  in  all  cases  of  miracles ;  and 


MIRACLES  39 

this  constitutes  the  unearned  increment  of  the 
miracle  worker.  This  is  true  throughout  all  his- 
tory. Joshua,  the  great  miracle  worker  of  the 
Jews,  was  said  to  have  made  the  sun  and  moon 
stand  still ;  but  every  student  of  occult  law,  or  of 
the  laws  of  astronomy,  knows  that  such  a  phe- 
nomenon could  not  be  produced  by  a  man,  though 
Joshua  could  and  probably  did  concentrate 
certain  Cosmic  Forces  which  gave  to  his  followers 
the  appearance  of  sunlight  and  moonlight.  Joshua 
did  work  miracles  upon  the  rivers  of  Palestine 
and  among  the  people,  and  he  even  raised  the 
dead ;  but  his  claim  of  making  the  sun  turn  back- 
ward in  its  course  and  the  moon  to  reverse  its 
position  in  the  heavens  is  absurd,  and  must  be 
considered  one  of  the  many  unearned  increments 
of  a  miracle  worker. 

The  **Lord,''  whoever  that  entity  may  have 
been,  while  talking  to  Hezekiah,  through  Isaiah, 
was  supposed  to  have  made  the  sun  cast  its  shadow 
backward  ten  degrees  upon  the  dial,  and  this  was 
another  case  of  the  unearned  increment  of  the 
agent ;  because  there  is  no  law  by  which  a  human, 
or  incarnated  mind,  can  reach  into  space  and  re- 
verse the  will  of  Planetary  Spirits,  or  Sun  Gods, 
any  more  than  an  individual  can  turn  aside  the 
will  of  the  Universal. 

When  it  was  stated  that  the  leaders  of  the  First 
Church  of  Christ,  Scientist,  of  New  York  City, 
had,  by  prayer  alone,  changed  the  carved  words 


40  FRAGMENTS  OF  TRUTH 

on  the  cornerstone  for  their  church,  while  it  was 
in  transit,  because  Mrs.  Eddy  did  not  approve  of 
them,  it  must  be  understood  that  this  was  another 
case  of  unearned  increment  that  should  go  with 
other  miracle  workers,  and  be  accredited  to  the 
play  of  the  human  imagination. 

What  is  a  miracle  ? 

The  Occultist  says  it  is  the  production  of  phys- 
ical phenomenon  by  the  use  of  occult  means. 

When  the  Children  of  Israel  had  crossed  the 
Red  Sea  and  had  come  to  the  Waters  of  Marah 
they  found  them  bitter  and  they  could  not  drink. 
Moses  commanded  his  followers  to  cut  down  a  tree 
and  cast  it  into  the  waters  and,  when  this  was 
done,  a  miracle  occurred ;  the  bitter  waters  turned 
sweet  and  the  Israelites  quenched  their  thirst. 

When  the  City  of  San  Diego,  California,  was 
suffering  from  a  polluted  water  supply,  and  the 
inhabitants  knew  that  the  very  life  of  the  city  was 
in  jeopardy,  a  man  went  there  from  San  Fran- 
cisco, and  gave  to  a  boatman  a  small  bag,  contain- 
ing an  unknown  substance,  to  drag  through  the 
water  of  the  reservoir.  When  this  was  done,  the 
contents  of  the  bag  was  dissolved,  the  polluted 
water  supply  of  San  Diego  became  pure,  and  a 
modern  miracle  had  been  performed. 

In  the  case  of  Moses  with  the  waters  of  Marah, 
that  miracle  was  produced  by  the  use  of  the  know- 
ledge Moses  had  of  the  effect  that  the  chemical 
constituents  of  the  tree  would  have  upon  the 


MIRACLES  41 

water.  And  the  miracle  at  San  Diego  was  per- 
formed by  the  blue  vitriol  in  the  bag  killing  the  pol- 
luting vegetable  life  and  making  the  water  sweet 
and  palatable.  In  both  cases  what  were  originally 
miracles,  on  being  analyzed,  became  known  as 
chemical  action;  and  one  miracle  was  as  great  as 
the  other. 

The  realm  of  the  miraculous  is  constantly  con- 
tracting, while  that  of  common  knowledge  is  ex- 
panding; and  what  was  a  miracle  at  one  period 
of  history,  is  a  common  occurrence  at  a  later  time. 
The  occult  sciences  of  mediaeval  days  are  the 
mothers  of  modern  sciences,  but  their  precocious 
children,  like  most  human  children,  are  too  prone 
to  underestimate  the  wisdom  of  their  ancestors. 

When  Jesus  and  His  disciples  performed  won- 
derful cures,  some  two  thousand  years  ago,  the 
people  thought  they  were  great  teachers  because 
they  used  unknown  forces.  The  same  miracles 
are  performed  today  by  Christian  Science,  New 
Thought,  or  by  Occult  Practitioners.  These  cures 
have  ceased  to  be  miraculous  because  they  are  all 
now  within  our  common  experience,  or  knowledge. 
An  examination  of  all  historical  miracles  will  re- 
veal them  as  belonging  to  one  of  two  general 
classes :  first,  where  the  phenomenon  is  produced 
by  the  independent  functioning  of  individual  mind 
or  where  there  is  action  of  individual  mind  on 
mind;  second,  where  individual  mind  acts  on  oc- 
cult forces. 


42  FRAGMENTS  OF  TRUTH 

As  examples  of  the  functioning  of  individual 
minds,  there  are  what  are  commonly  known  as 
voluntary  clairvoyance  and  clairaudience.  These 
occult  senses  are  not,  in  themselves,  miraculous 
but  are  only  super-normal,  as  compared  with  un- 
developed humanity  of  today;  and  clairvoyance 
is  a  miracle  only  to  those  who  do  not  understand 
its  functioning.  When  Jesus,  using  these  occult 
senses,  saw  Nathaniel  under  the  fig-tree,  far  away, 
He  impressed  all  those  around  Him  with  His 
superhuman  power  by  describing  the  conversa- 
tion that  occurred  and  everything  that  was  done 
by  Nathaniel.  This  created  in  the  minds  of  His 
hearers  a  worship  of  His  power.  In  modern  times 
a  person  may  also  become  clairvoyant  and  see 
what  is  done  at  a  distance,  and  the  world  is  just 
beginning  to  understand,  in  this  twentieth  century, 
that  such  a  sense  is  merely  a  normal,  human  power 
developed  by  every  ego  at  a  certain  point  in  its 
evolvement. 

The  second  division  of  the  first  class  mentioned 
— where  mind  acts  on  mind — is  itself  divisible  into 
two  classes,  magic  and  suggestion.  Magic  is  a 
distinct  branch  of  Occultism ;  it  is  one  of  the  occult 
sciences.  In  another  chapter  it  is  dealt  with  from 
its  better  known,  but  lesser  aspect,  as  necromancy. 
It  will  be  touched  upon  now  as  one  of  the  working 
tools  of  the  miracle  man.  Of  course  it  must  not 
be  supposed  that  its  modus  operandi  will  be  dis- 
closed, since  that  is  one  of  the  secrets  of  the 


MIEACLES  43 

student  of  the  Occult.  It  is  suJSicient  to  say,  then, 
that,  as  a  human  mind  can  reach  another  mind 
telepathically,  so  the  human  mind  can  act  upon 
intelligences  less  than  human.  For  example,  as 
a  man  may  control  a  dog,  so  may  he  control  certain 
intelligences  which,  as  yet,  have  not  incarnated  on 
this  earth.  These  lesser  intelligences  are  called 
elementals,  and,  through  the  control  of  a  trained 
mind,  can  be  made  to  produce  physical  phenomena, 
such  as  the  carrying  of  articles  from  place  to 
place,  the  precipitation  of  articles,  the  disintegra- 
tion and  reintegration  of  material  things. 

For  example:  When  Jesus  was  called  upon  to 
pay  His  taxes,  He  directed  Simon  to  go  to  sea, 
cast  his  hook,  take  the  first  fish  caught  and  in  its 
mouth  would  be  found  a  piece  of  money  to  pay 
taxes  for  them  both.  Jesus,  either  clairvoyantly 
saw  a  fish  which  had  swallowed  money — ^not  a  rare 
occurrence — and  through  His  will  compelled  it  to 
take  the  hook,  or,  knowing  where  there  was  money, 
by  the  use  of  elementals,  disintegrated,  conveyed 
and  reintegrated  it  inside  the  fish.  This  latter 
process  of  disintegrating  and  reintegrating  is  fre- 
quently seen  in  these  days  at  spiritistic  seances  as 
in  the  precipitation  of  flowers,  etc. 

The  difference  between  the  amateur  and  expert 
worker  along  these  lines  is  that  the  precipitated 
articles  of  the  former  last  but  a  short  time  and 
then  crumble  into  dust,  while  those  of  the  expert 
last  their  normal  lives.    This  difference  is  due  to 


44  FRAGMENTS  OF  TRUTH 

the  fact  that  if  the  interstices  between  the  par- 
ticles that  compose  the  percipitated  article  are 
unduly  extended,  they  will  never  again  perma- 
nently hold  their  normal  relationship  to  each 
other,  nor  will  they  hold  their  relationship  if  de- 
magnetized in  the  operation — as  the  elasticity  in 
rubber  is  destroyed  by  overstretching,  so  de- 
magnetization and  overdistention  in  precipitation 
weaken  the  articles  precipitated.  But  the  phe- 
nomena cannot  be  produced  without  an  extension 
of  the  interstices  and  an  expert  judgment  based 
on  numerous  experiences  is  required  to  accurately 
adjust  the  particles. 

The  second  sub-division — suggestion — is  more 
familiar  to  the  present  age.  Suggestion  is  a 
thought  sent  telepathically  by  one  mind  to  an- 
other. No  thought  which  is  repeatedly  and  force- 
fully sent  to  another  person. can  fail  to  reach  him; 
but  whether  or  not  it  is  acted  upon  is  another 
question.  Thought  travels  unimpeded  in  the 
same  manner  as  the  etheric  waves,  initiated  by  a 
spark  from  a  wireless  station.  The  spark  causes 
a  motion  of  the  ether  which  goes  forth  onward 
and  outward  into  space,  registering  wherever 
there  is  a  receiving  instrument.  And  wherever 
there  is  a  receiving  negative  mind  it  catches, 
quickly,  a  thought  sent  telepathically  into  the 
ether;  and  even  a  positive  mind  must  receive  a 
thought  sent  by  a  trained  mind  directly  to  it. 

Suggestion  plays  a  most  important  part  in 


MIRACLES  45 

miracle  working.  In  all  cases  of  nervous  troubles, 
in  almost  all  cases  of  functional  troubles,  sugges- 
tion is  an  all-powerful  instrument  in  healing. 
Many  wonderful  cures  of  the  modern  miracle 
worker  are  reported.  It  may  have  been  a  tumor 
that  was  cured  in  an  instant — all  schools  cite  such 
instances — but  there  never  was  a  human  sugges- 
tion sufiSciently  powerful  to  destroy  a  fibroid 
tumor  and  there  is  no  authenticated  case  of 
record,  notwithstanding  the  many  claims  to  that 
effect.  But  there  have  been  phantom  tumors 
which  have  been  cured;  that  is  to  say  there  are 
certain  groups  of  nerves  in  the  human  body  that 
can  be  worked  upon,  by  the  ego  incarnated  within 
that  body,  in  such  a  manner  as  to  cause  all  the 
phenomenon  of  a  tumor  and  which  cannot  be  dis- 
tinguished from  a  real  tumor  except  through 
clairvoyant  vision,  or  an  X-ray. 

Through  the  power  of  suggestion  it  is  possible, 
in  the  case  of  a  phantom  tumor,  to  remove  the 
creating  thought,  which  produced  it,  to  relax  the 
nerves  and  thus  dispel  it — and  these  are  the  cases 
that  are  cited  in  all  the  modern  schools  of  miracle 
workers. 

Many  persons  have  been  nervously  bed-ridden. 
They  were  obsessed  with  the  idea  that  they  could 
not  move,  that  their  muscles  would  not  function, 
that  their  nerves  would  not  act.  A  strong  sug- 
gestion sent  forth  by  a  trained  mind  will  change 
the  mentality  of  the  person  who  is  suffering  and, 


46  FRAGMENTS  OF  TRUTH 

through  that  change,  bring  a  reaction  to  the 
physical  body.  All  nervous  conditions  can  be  suc- 
cessfully changed  and  the  many  cases  of  this  kind 
cited  in  the  Bible  or  performed  by  modern  cults 
can  thus  be  explained. 

Cures  are  sometimes  effected  by  a  mental 
change  through  causes  other  than  suggestion. 
An  interesting  case  of  this  kind  occurred  in 
Savannah,  Georgia,  in  1886,  during  the  Charleston 
earthquake.  A  leading  physician's  wife,  who  had 
been  bed-ridden  for  twenty  years,  and  who  had 
been  p^ronounced  incurable  by  all  the  prominent 
ner\'e  specialists  of  the  Eastern  Coast,  when  she 
felt  the  house  rocking,  bounded  out  of  bed,  ran 
down  two  flights  of  stairs,  dashed  across  the 
street,  vaulted  the  fence  into  the  park  and  sat  on 
a  bench  for  several  hours  before  she  could  be  per- 
suaded to  re-enter  her  house.  The  earthquake 
brought  a  nervous  shock  to  her  which  wrought 
a  complete  change  in  her  mentality,  causing  her 
body  to  once  more  function  normally. 

Suggestion  was  used  by  Jesus  and  His  disciples, 
and  by  all  Occultists  who  had  preceded  Him,  and 
it  is  used  by  all  similar  workers  today.  When 
Jesus  fed  the  multitude  on  a  few  loaves  and  fishes, 
the  phenomenon  did  not  then  come  within  any  of 
the  known  laws  of  nature,  occult  or  otherwise. 
But  it  was  possible  with  His  power  to  impress, 
through  suggestion  upon  the  minds  of  the  people, 
the  belief  that  they  had  been  fed.     The  phe- 


MIRACLES  47 

nomenon  was  produced,  the  curiosity  of  the  mul- 
titude was  satisfied,  its  hunger  appeased,  creden- 
tials established  and  mental  suggestion  had  done 
the  work. 

When  King  Edward,  then  the  Prince  of  Wales, 
visited  India,  it  is  authenticated  that  there  were 
present  several  thousand  people  in  one  of  their 
great  temples,  and  that  a  wonder  worker  of  India 
was  brought  in  who  did  the  well-known  basket 
trick. 

How  was  it  done  ? 

A  mind  can  so  dwell  upon  an  image  as  to  cause, 
within  its  own  photosphere,  that  image  to  appear ; 
and  it  can  be  so  intensified  that  every  one,  looking 
upon  the  person  producing  the  picture,  can  see 
nothing  but  the  picture.  The  mental  image  is  im- 
pressed upon  the  minds  of  the  spectators  with 
such  intensity  that  it  cannot  be  distinguished  from 
the  reality. 

Moses  was  not  convinced  of  his  mission  to  the 
Jews  until  the  **Lord  God,"  who  came  to  him  in 
the  bush,  told  him  to  cast  down  the  stick  he  held 
in  his  hand  and  it  became  a  snake.  Then  he  was 
told  to  catch  the  snake  by  the  tail,  and,  when  he 
had  done  it,  the  snake  was  transformed  into  a  rod. 
In  reality  there  was  no  snake,  but  an  image  of  a 
snake  had  been  impressed  upon  Moses'  mind,  and 
it  is  said  that  Aaron  went  through  a  similar  ex- 
perience. 

Moses  and  the  Egyptian  miracle  workers,  in 


48  FRAGMENTS  OF  TRUTH 

their  contest  for  supremacy,  as  miracle  workers, 
each  produced  the  same  phenomena  in  the  same 
way;  that  is  to  say,  they  held  the  image  so  com- 
plete in  their  minds  that  any  person  looking  at 
them  could  see  nothing  hut  the  image. 

Madam  Blavatsky  duplicated  some  of  these 
phenomena  in  New  York  when  she  formed  the 
Theosophical  Society.  A  gentleman  called  upon 
her  who  desired  to  join  the  society  and  to  become 
her  student.  When  he  was  boasting  of  his  ability 
and  bravery,  Madam  dropped  her  handkerchief, 
and,  as  he  stooped  to  pick  it  up,  to  all  appearances 
it  became  a  snake.  It  is  needless  to  say  he  did  not 
join  the 'society. 

When  Jesus  performed  His  first  miracle  of  turn- 
ing water  into  wine,  it  was  done,  or  could  have 
been  done,  by  His  imaging  the  water  ^s  wine.  The 
guests  did  not  know  the  difference  and  were  better 
off  with  the  imagined  wine  than  they  would  have 
been  with  the  fermented  juice  of  the  grapes — 
having  consumed  a  quantity  of  the  latter  during 
the  earlier  part  of  the  supper. 

The  second  class  of  cases  is  where  an  individual 
mind  manipulates  occult  forces.  What  and  where 
are  these  forces? 

The  Occultist  says  that  around,  in,  and  through 
the  earth,  are  subtile  forces  of  nature  which  the 
human  mind,  by  study  and  concentration,  can  use 
as  it  desires.  As  the  dynamo  collects  free  elec- 
tricity from  the  atmosphere,  by  the  rapid  revolu- 


MIEACLES  .  49 

tion  and  friction  of  its  wheel  and  turns  it  into 
light,  heat,  or  power,  so  the  human  mind,  acting 
as  a  dynamo,  can  attract  to  itself  the  free  Cosmic 
Forces  of  nature,  and,  drawing  them  into  itself, 
can  then  send  them  forth  in  any  direction  and  for 
any  purpose  it  may  desire.  Many  miracles  are 
performed  by  the  mind  consciously  using  these 
occult  forces,  but  only  a  trained  mind  is  able  to  do 
it.  Merely  thinking  of  them  in  a  passive  way 
cannot  put  them  into  operation. 

The  mind  acts  upon  these  forces  as  the  wind 
acts  upon  water.  For  example :  there  is  a  placid 
lake.  Now  a  little  breeze  stirs  the  water  slightly ; 
the  breeze  continues,  growing  in  strength,  and 
there  is  a  ripple  on  the  water;  and  as  the  wind 
increases  the  ripples  finally  become  waves. 

It  is  in  a  like  manner  that  the  human  mind  acts 
upon  the  Cosmic  Forces  through  concentration;  a 
little  thought  scarcely  brings  any  action  of  the 
forces.  But  when  concentration  is  continued  for 
any  length  of  time,  they  are  set  into  motion  and 
thus  it  is  that  miracles  may  be  performed. 

When  Jesus  performed  the  miracle  of  the  draft 
of  fishes,  He  probably  produced  the  phenomenon 
by  putting  into  operation  these  same  forces  of 
nature.  He  pictured,  near  the  boat,  a  vortex  in 
the  water;  this  caused  a  movement  there,  which 
attracted  the  fish  to  that  center.  Then  He  directed 
His  disciples  to  cast  their  nets  into  the  vortex  and 
they  made  the  miraculous  catch. 


60  FRAGMENTS  OF  TRUTH 

When  Jesus  stilled  the  storm  He  put  a  Cosmic 
Force  into  action  which  nullified  the  opposing 
force.  He  drew  a  higher  Cosmic  Force  into  the 
vortex  where  the  storm  was  raging.  The  higher 
overcame  the  lower  and  dissipated  its  fury.  When 
Jesus  saw  Lazarus  lying  dead,  He  knew  that  the 
vibrations  of  the  atoms  composing  Lazarus'  body 
had  become  so  slow  that  the  ego  could  no  longer 
control  it  with  its  magnetic  force.  Jesus  with  His 
tremendous  power  of  concentration  directed  the 
Orange  Cosmic  Force  into  the  motionless  form  of 
Lazarus  and  commanded  him  to  '*come  forth.'' 
Then  the  conscious  ego,  who  was  still  near  its 
body,  re-entered  and  Lazarus  was  raised  from  the 
dead. 

Within  a  short  time  after  death,  life  may  be  re- 
stored by  any  one  w^ho  understands  the  process  of 
restoration.  The  Electrotherapist,  on  rare  oc- 
casions, has  resurrected  a  lifeless  body  through 
the  use  of  electricity — which  is  a  part  of  the  Blue 
Cosmic  Force.  The  difference  between  the  Oc- 
cultist's method  and  the  Electrotherapist 's  is, 
the  former  does  the  work  through  mental  proc- 
esses and  the  latter  by  aid  of  an  electric  battery. 
In  the  course  of  the  evolution  of  the  human  race, 
to  triumph  over  a  premature  death  will  cease  to 
be  a  miracle. 

It  is  contrary  to  the  traditions  of  Occultism  to 
teach  other  than  accepted  students,  the  use  of  the 
destructive  forces  of  Nature.     Mankind,  unfor- 


MIRACLES  51 

tunately,  is  still,  like  a  child,  destnietive  in  its 
tendency — as  witness  Art,  Science,  Literatiare,  In- 
vention, Manufacture,  Transportation — every  line 
of  human  endeavor  perverted  to  destructive  pur- 
poses during  the  last  five  years.  And  for  this 
reason,  details  of  how  Jesus  destroyed  the  fig-tree, 
or  how  the  plagues  befell  the  Egyptians  cannot 
be  entered  into.  But  it  is  sufficient  to  say  that  the 
destructive  forces  of  Nature  can  be  put  into  opera- 
tion, by  the  human  mind,  in  the  same  manner  as 
can  the  constructive  forces  and  both  may  be  used 
to  produce  miracles. 

The  immediate  purpose  of  this  chapter  is  to 
show  that  all  men  are  using  the  forces  of  Nature, 
through  which  miracles  are  performed.  The  con- 
scious agent  produces  them  quickly,  while  he  who 
uses  the  forces  unconsciously  does  not  get  results 
until  after  many  years — and  then  may  be  unable 
to  trace  the  causes  from  their  effects.  Most  per- 
sons drag  out  unhappy  lives,  due  to  their  environ- 
ment, totally  unconscious  that  it  is  self-created, 
and  that  it  is  self-curable  through  a  change  of 
mental  attitude  toward  it. 

Each  person,  through  the  study  of  psychology 
and  philosophy,  can  le^rn  the  rules  that  govern 
creation  and  make  the  Spiritual,  Mental  and 
Physical  environment  desired.  And  since  to  think 
is  to  create,  all  men  should  carefully  scrutinize 
their  habits  of  thought  lest  they  become  Franken- 
steins  and  create  monsters. 


52  FRAGMENTS  OF  TRUTH 

A  man's  character  determines  the  quality  of  his 
thoughts;  and  therefore,  all  the  Saviours  of  the 
world  have  taught  the  same  ethical  principles, 
hoping  thereby  to  convince  man  that  ethics  are 
not  moral  platitudes  but  are  statements  of  the 
immutable  laws  of  Nature. 


CHAPTER  THREE 

VIBRATION 

Scientists  tell  us  that  vibration  is  motion  and  is 
the  underlying  cause  of  everything  that  exists  as 
form.  But  the  Occultist  goes  further  and  says 
that  vibration  began  with  time,  and  was  the  result 
of  the  desire  of  the  Universal  Consciousness  for 
light  and  for  mental  and  material  expression  in 
forms. 

The  Scientist  says  it  is  atoms,  ions,  corpuscles 
and  electrical  invisibles  that  vibrate.  He  admits 
that  he  has  never  seen  one  of  these  infinitesimal 
divisions  of  matter,  yet  he  blindly  claims  that  they 
exist,  as  necessities,  since  they  are  the  bricks  with 
which  the  Universe  is  builded,  and  here  he  stops 
for  lack  of  further  knowledge  along  this  line. 

Such  students  as  are  not  satisfied  with  such 
meager  information  as  the  Scientist  has  to  give, 
may  turn  to  the  Occultist  and  learn  that  the  atom 
is  the  smallest  indivisible  particle  of  matter  and 
is  a  globular,  vibrating  center  of  magnetic  force. 
It  has  two  distinct  motions,  a  rotary,  or  generating 
motion,  and  an  elliptical,  or  manifesting  motion. 
It  is  an  infinitesimal  portion  of  the  Universal  Con- 
sciousness and  has  a  positive  and  a  negative 
aspect. 

63 


54  FRAGMENTS  OF  TRUTH 

Its  positive  aspect  is  atomic  consciousness;  its 
negative  aspect  is  materiality,  and  neither  aspect 
can  function  without  the  other.  By  reason  of  its 
conscious,  or  positive  aspect,  its  rotary  motion  is 
maintained;  and  by  reason  of  its  materiality,  or 
negative  aspect,  its  elliptical,  or  manifesting  mo- 
tion is  sustained. 

During  the  long  Cosmic  Nights,  while  the  Uni- 
versal Consciousness  was  unconscious  and  resting, 
there  was  no  vibration  of  atoms  in  the  Universe. 
There  was  nothing  but  darkness  and  silence.  Such 
portions  of  the  Universal  Consciousness  as  had,  in 
previous  Cosmic  Days,  been  particled  into  atoms 
were  as  vibrationless  as  was  the  unparticled  por- 
tion. All  forms  had  disappeared  and  the  Uni- 
versal Consciousness  was  a  boundless,  homoge- 
netic, motionless  sea. 

Before  the  Great  Consciousness  became  uncon- 
scious. It  knew  how  long  the  coming  Cosmic  Night 
would  last,  and,  as  a  finite  mind,  before  sinking 
into  repose,  knows  the  hour  it  must  waken,  so  the 
Universal  Consciousness  knew  when  Its  rest  would 
end,  and  when  Its  mental  and  material  manifesta- 
tion would  again  begin. 

It  was  in  the  center  of  the  Universe  that  vibra- 
tion began  on  the  morning  of  each  Cosmic  Day; 
and  it  was,  and  it  will  be,  in  the  center  of  the 
Universe  that  vibration  ended,  and  will  end,  at  the 
close  of  this  and  of  every  other  Cosmic  Day.  And 
such  centers  as  were  first  created,  by  Universal 


VIBRATION  55 

Consciousness  for  It  to  manifest  through,  were 
formed  at  the  center  of  the  Universe.  They  were 
and  are  the  vital  organs  of  the  Macrocosm  and 
stand  in  the  same  relationship  to  the  Universal 
Consciousness  as  do  the  vital  organs  of  the  mi- 
crocosmic  man  to  his  physical  form  of  manifes- 
tation. 

It  was  at  these  centers — ^where  the  vital  organs 
of  the  Macrocosm  were  to  be  placed — that  atomic 
vibration  began,  as  it  was  at  the  centers  where  the 
vital  organs  of  microcosmic  man  were  to  be,  that 
his  material,  atomic  vibrations  began,  before  he 
became  a  manifesting  center  of  consciousness. 

When  the  first  great  desire  for  material  mani- 
festation began  in  the  Universal  Consciousness,  a 
few  atoms  at  the  center  of  the  Universe  began 
slowly  to  rotate  and,  because  of  their  rotary  mo- 
tions, those  atoms  became  differentiated,  or  sepa- 
rated from  the  homogeneous  mass  of  unconscious- 
ness— of  which  they  had  been  a  part — and  became 
individual  vortices  of  force.  They  were  preparing 
to  manifest  the  force  they  were  generating. 

The  immediate  effect  of  the  rotary  motion  of 
the  first  few  atoms  was  to  create  a  magnetic  center 
of  attraction  for  more  atoms  to  differentiate  and 
to  join  the  vortex  already  formed,  and  thus  the 
nucleoid  of  the  Macrocosmic  heart  was  created. 

As  an  illustration :  There  is  a  large  block  of  ice. 
It  is  lying  smooth  and  motionless.  Suddenly,  in 
the  center  of  that  ice,  something  stirs.    Now  there 


56  FRAGMENTS  OF  TRUTH 

appears  to  be  a  few  infinitesimal  grains  of  ice  mov- 
ing slightly;  and  now  more  grains  of  ice  are  join- 
ing in  the  movement.  As  each  grain  separates 
from  the  original  mass,  it  is  attracted  to  and  joins 
that  vibrating  center;  and  now  that  center  is 
changing  in  appearance.  It  is  no  longer  ice  but 
is  transformed  into  a  liquid.    The  ice  has  melted. 

The  transformation  of  the  solid  block  of  ice  into 
liquid  was  caused  by  the  increased  rotary  and 
elliptical  motions  of  the  atoms  composing  the  ice. 
And  the  increase  of  motion,  or  vibration,  was  pro- 
duced by  the  minute  bit  of  consciousness  of  each 
atom  responding  to  its  innate  desire  for  a  broader 
manifestation  than  it  could  have  in  its  congealed 
form  as  ice. 

When  there  was  no  desire  for  manifestation  in 
a  higher  form  than  that  of  ice,  there  was  neither 
a  rotary  nor  an  elliptical  motion,  perceptible,  of 
the  atoms  composing  that  mass ;  but,  when  the  de- 
sire for  a  higher  manifestation  awakened  in  each 
atom,  then  vibration  and  differentiation  began  and 
the  ice  evolved  into  water,  the  next  higher  state 
of  consciousness  above  ice. 

In  the  beginning  of  a  Cosmic  Day,  before  any 
material  forms  have  been  created,  there  are  two 
grades  of  atoms,  the  negative  and  the  positive. 
The  negative  grade  is  that  portion  of  God — ^Uni- 
versal Consciousness — which  has  never  manifested 
in  forms  of  any  kind  during  any  Cosmic  Day. 
That  grade  can  be  called  the  superabundance  of 


VIBRATION  57 

God.  It  is  really  the  great  reserve  of  the  Uni- 
versal Consciousness  and  is  sometimes  called  the 
undifferentiated  part  of  God.  When  compared 
with  the  positive,  manifesting  grade  of  atoms,  it 
is  as  the  potter's  clay  compared  with  the  potter's 
wares.  It  is  fallow  now,  but,  in  Days  to  come,  it 
will  be  gradually  brought  into  manifestation,  as 
it  is  needed  to  carry  out  the  plans  of  Deity. 

But  it  is  the  vibrating,  manifesting  portion  of 
God — Universal  Consciousness — that  is  now  under 
consideration,  and  It  is  composed  of  atoms  and 
atoms.  Some  are  vibrating  more  rapidly  than 
others,  because  they  belong  to  a  higher  grade  of 
consciousness  than  others.  And  this  is  because 
they  have  been  differentiated  for  a  longer  time, 
have  vibrated  more,  have  generated  more  force 
and  have  been  used  in  the  composition  of  higher 
forms  than  others.  It  is  the  difference  between 
the  experienced  and  inexperienced  atoms  which 
makes  the  distinction. 

In  the  beginning  of  this  Cosmic  Day,  when  the 
manifesting  portion  of  God  desired  to  again  mani- 
fest in  the  forms  of  men  and  things.  It  knew,  by 
Its  past  experiences  in  other  Days,  that  the  vibra- 
tion of  all  Its  manifesting  particles,  or  atoms, 
must  be  established  before  any  forms  could  be 
produced :  and  it  was  through  the  conscious  aspect 
of  the  highest  grade  of  atoms,  at  the  center  of  the 
Universe,  that  rotation,  or  vibration,  began.  And 
it  was  from  that  point,  as  a  center,  that  the  desire 


58  FEAGMENTS  OF  TRUTH 

emanated  which  inspired  all  other  rotating  atoms 
to  vibrate  higher. 

As  an  illustration  of  the  operation  of  the  Law 
of  Attraction,  or  of  sympathy,  as  it  is  sometimes 
called,  the  same  principle  manifests  in  the  human 
family  as  contagion  of  action.  For  example: 
Should  a  man  start  to  run,  on  a  thoroughfare,  al- 
most every  one  who  saw  him,  would  first  wonder 
why  he  was  running,  and  then  the  street  would  be 
filled  with  persons  running  after  him.  If  a  person 
in  a  crowd  begins  to  laugh  and  continues  laughing 
for  a  while,  every  one  who  hears,  laughs  also.  If  a 
pathetic  scene  upon  the  stage  causes  a  few  in- 
dividuals to  weep,  the  whole  audience  becomes  af- 
fected, through  the  operation  of  the  Law  of  Attrac- 
tion, or  sympathy,  and  weep,  or  feel  like  weeping. 
And  as  it  is  with  centers  of  consciousness,  so  it  is 
with  the  atoms  composing  those  centers;  they 
vibrate,  or  rotate,  according  to  the  extent  of  each 
one's  inherent  power,  and  are  in  sympathy  with 
all  other  atoms  in  their  individual  center. 

The  creation  of  a  form  began  with  the  amalga- 
mation of  two,  or  more,  atoms  vibrating  at  the 
same  common  rate.  And  the  growth  of  a  form 
is  due  to  the  continuous  attraction  of  more  atoms 
of  a  common  rate  to  that  nucleus,  or  center. 

For  example:  The  vortex  of  atoms  that  was 
the  beginning  of  a  pine  tree,  began  with  the  amal- 
gamation of  a  few  atoms  vibrating  at  the  same 
rate.    And,  through  the  magnetic  attraction,  or 


VIBRATION  59 

sympathy,  emanating  from  those  few  atoms,  as  a 
vortex,  or  nucleus,  more  atoms  of  the  same  rate 
were  attracted.  But,  atoms  vibrating  at  a  dif- 
ferent rate,  such  as  would  combine  to  compose  an 
elm,  or  a  maple  tree,  were  repelled  from  that 
center.  Through  its  magnetic  attraction,  that  pine 
tree  center  slowly  accumulated  from  earth,  air  and 
water  only  such  atoms  as  would  make  it  consistent 
in  all  its  parts — which  would  make  it  a  pine  tree 
and  nothing  else. 

There  was  another  element  that  entered  into 
the  creation  of  the  pine  tree.  There  was  a  certain 
amount  of  concentration  of  consciousness,  as  well 
as  the  sympathy,  or  attraction,  of  its  atoms  for 
each  other.  There  was  consciousness  enough  in 
each  atom  composing  the  pine  tree  to  enable  them 
to  reject,  or  repel,  as  well  as  to  attract  and  select, 
the  right  atoms  to  harmonize  with  them,  and  to 
make  their  center  a  perfect  tree.  And  this  small 
amount  of  consciousness  grew  with  the  tree's 
growth,  because  each  atom  that  came  into  it 
brought  a  bit  more  consciousness  to  swell  the  con- 
glomerate whole  until  it  became  a  pine  tree  con- 
sciousness with  its  own  individual  form,  odor  and 
color.  But,  if  that  pine  tree  consciousness  had 
not  also  had  the  power  to  repel  atoms  of  a  differ- 
ent vibration,  instead  of  bearing  pine  needles  and 
pine  cones,  it  would  have  borne  leaves  and  fruit. 

Forms,  on  the  spiritual  plane  of  consciousness, 
are  composed  of  atoms  yibrating  at  a  very  rapid 


60  FRAGMENTS  OF  TRUTH 

rate,  are  of  the  finest  texture  and  of  most  ex- 
quisite colorings.  The  beauty  and  fineness  of 
spiritual  forms  are  due  to  the  fact  that  they  are 
composed  of  atoms  that  have  evolved  from  lower 
grades  of  manifestation,  through  many  forms  of 
expression,  to  the  spiritual  plane. 

All  consciousness  is  intensified  through  the  ex- 
periences of  expression;  and,  whether  it  be  an 
atom,  or  a  conglomerate  mass  of  atoms  forming 
a  sun,  a  world,  a  man,  or  an  animal,  manifestation, 
or  expression,  is  the  only  means  by  which  con- 
sciousness evolves. 

The  atoms  on  the  mental  planes  are  next  lower, 
in  their  rates  of  vibration,  than  are  those  upon 
the  spiritual  planes  and  their  colorings  are  also 
varied  according  to  their  rates  of  vibration,  but 
each  mental  form  is  individualized  and  manifests 
according  to  its  development,  or  undevelopment, 
as  the  case  may  be. 

For  example :  There  are  many  so-called  unusual 
minds.  Unusual  because  they  have  mental  char- 
acteristics peculiar  to  themselves.  They  live  upon 
the  earth  in  physical  bodies,  or  they  may  be  ex- 
ca mated  and  abide  upon  some  of  the  subjective 
planes  of  consciousness  but  they  are  not  in  rap- 
port with  the  mass  of  consciousnesses  around 
them.  Such  minds  glorify  everything  they  see. 
To  them  the  color  blue  is  bluer  than  it  is  to 
others.  The  sunshine  is  more  golden  and  the 
moonlight  has  a  charm  that  others  cannot  see. 


VIBRATION  61 

Music,  to  them,  is  entrancing;  art,  uplifting; 
beauty,  adorable ;  and  love,  glorif jring. 

These  minds  are  idealistic ;  and  the  atoms,  which 
compose  them,  vibrate  at  a  more  rapid  rate  than 
do  the  atoms  that  compose  the  minds  who  never 
can  determine  the  true  color  of  a  thing,  and  who 
like  sunshine  better  than  clouds  because  they  feel 
more  comfortable  on  a  sunny  day.  ^Or,  who  like 
posters  better  than  pictures  because  they  are 
funnier.) 

The  Occultist  would  describe  the  idealistic  mind 
as  in  rapport  with  the  higher  Cosmic  Forces,  while 
those  minds  who  do  not  idealize,  vibrate  with  the 
lower  shades  of  the  red,  green  and  orange 
Cosmic  Forces. 

On  the  material  plane  the  atoms  composing 
physica;l,  or  material,  forms  are  of  a  still  lower 
rate  of  vibration  than  are  those  upon  the  mental 
plane ;  but  everything  from  the  greatest  and  most 
sublime,  down  to  the  smallest  and  most  insig- 
nificant center  of  consciousness,  generates  and 
possesses  powers  that  manifest  as  attraction  and 
repulsion,  in  its  individual  radius  or  sphere.  And 
whether  a  center  belongs  to  the  constructive,  or 
destructive,  side  of  Nature,  depends  upon  its  mode 
of  manifestation.  If  it  manifests  more  attraction 
than  repulsion  it  is  more  constructive  than  de- 
structive. But  if  it  manifests  more  repulsion  than 
attraction  then  it  is  more  destructive  than  con- 
structive. 


62  FRAGMENTS  OF  TRUTH 

In  tlie  morning  of  this,  onr  Cosmic  Day,  before 
any  forms  liad  been  created,  the  Universal  Con- 
sciousness started  Its  constructive  atoms  rotating 
from  left  to  right ;  and  Its  destructive  atoms  rotat- 
ing from  right  to  left.  The  reason  construction 
goes  from  left  to  right  and  destruction  from  right 
to  left  has  not  been  revealed  by  Universal  Con- 
sciousness to  finite  minds.  And  it  is  quite  unim- 
portant, to  finite  minds,  which  direction,  construc- 
tive, or  destructive,  atoms  rotate;  but,  for  the 
sake  of  the  evolvement  of  forms,  it  is  most  impor- 
tant that  the  constructionists  should  preponder- 
ate in  numbers  over  the  destructionists.  For,  if 
the  atoms  vibrating  destructively  should  equal,  or 
exceed,  in  numbers  the  atoms  vibrating  construc- 
tively then  the  destruction  of  all  forms,  in  the 
Universe,  would  ensue,  and  evolution  would  cease. 

As  an  illustration  of  how  forms  composed  of 
destructive,  or  outlaw,  atoms  disturb  constructive 
centers,  or  forms,  in  Cosmos,  comets  may  be  con- 
sidered. These  are  centers  of  consciousness  com- 
posed of  atoms  that  rotate  from  right  to  left.  They 
are  Cosmic  centers,  with  no  dependable  orbits 
of  manifestation,  but  go  rushing  about  in  space, 
for  a  time,  colliding  with  other  centers,  which 
come  in  their  way.  They  are  destructive  and  dis- 
orderly and  usually  end  their  careers  by  plunging 
into  a  sun,  somewhere  in  the  Universe,  or  by  ex- 
ploding and  scattering  their  fragments  into  space. 
When  those  fragments  of  broken  comets  are  at- 


VIBRATION  63 

tracted  into  the  atmosphere  of  a  planet,  they  fall 
upon  it  and  are  buried  in  the  ground,  or  are  swal- 
lowed by  the  sea.  These  fragments  are  often 
called  meteors. 

Among  men,  in  the  body  politic,  there  are  minds 
whose  atoms  rotate  from  right  to  left,  overturning 
and  destroying  happy  and  prosperous,  social  and 
financial  conditions.  Such  minds  are  found  among 
those  who  hate  and  kill  other  men.  They  are  the 
minds  who  delight  in  the  downfall  of  other  human 
beings  and  who  seek  to  rob  others  of  their  pos- 
sessions both  mental  and  material. 

Among  men's  foods  and  medicines  there  are 
nourishing,  upbuilding  things  composed  of  atoms 
that  are  constructively  rotating  from  left  to  right, 
and  there  are  poisonous,  destructive  things  com- 
posed of  atoms  destructively  rotating  from  right 
to  left.  The  poisonous,  outlaw  atoms  clog  the 
system,  destroy  the  blood  and  break  down  the  tis- 
sues. All  poisonous  things  are  destructive,  and 
are  composed  of  outlaw  atoms,  and  yet,  there  are 
individuals  who  deliberately  inject  into  the  bodies 
of  other  individuals  the  deadly  preparations  they 
know  are  destructive. 

Should  the  body  and  the  mind  of  a  man  be  mag- 
nified until  the  atoms,  of  which  he  is  composed, 
were  to  become  visible  to  physical  eyes,  those 
atoms  would  be  seen  as  rotating,  revolving  globes, 
or  balls,  and  each  a  separate  and  distinct  center 
of  generating,  magnetic  force.    The  atoms  com- 


64  FRAGMENTS  OF  TRUTH 

posing  the  mind  intermingle  with  the  physical 
atoms  influencing  and  controlling  them  by  reason 
of  their  greater  magnetic  power. 
•  This  control  of  physical  atoms,  by  mind  atoms, 
is  accomplished  through  the  conscious  half  of  the 
mind  atoms  coming  into  contact  with  the  conscious 
half  of  the  physical  atoms.  It  is  here,  as  it  is 
throughout  the  Universe,  that  the  stronger  control 
the  weaker. 

When  a  physical  body  is  resting,  or  sleeping,  it 
is  not  manifesting,  or  expressing,  force  but  its 
atoms  do  not  stop  rotating.  Each  atom  is  a  minia- 
ture dynamo  continuously  generating  and  storing 
force  for  future  use.  This  is  why  sleep  is  neces- 
sary for  an  exhausted  physical  body,  because, 
when  the  body  is  motionless,  its  atoms  are  accumu- 
lating more  force  than  they  are  expending. 

If  the  magnified  physical  body  should  be  afflicted 
with  cancer,  the  diseased  part  would  be  seen  com- 
posed of  outlaw  atoms  rotating  in  an  opposite 
direction  from  those  which  compose  the  harmo- 
nious, or  healthy  tissues.  And  those  destructive, 
cancerous  atoms  would  be  rotating  at  a  slower 
rate,  and  would  be  of  a  different  color  than  the 
harmonious  atoms. 

Should  an  Occultist  treat  that  inharmonious  con- 
dition, he  would  send  into  the  patient's  body  a 
magnetic  stream,  or  army,  of  new,  constructive 
atoms  rotating  so  much  more  rapidly  than  the 
cancerous  ones  that  the  outlaws  would  be  forced 


VIBRATION  65 

out  and  away  from  the  body.  And  his  T^ork  would 
be  done  upon  both  the  mental  and  the  physical 
planes.  He  would  bring  such  material  remedies 
into  use,  upon  the  diseased  tissues,  as  would  re- 
move the  destructive  physical  atoms,  and  his  reme- 
dies would  all  be  constructive.  They  would 
strengthen  and  stimulate  the  healthy  atoms  by 
reinforcing  them  in  number,  and  the  new  atoms 
would  take  the  places  vacated  by  the  outlaw,  or 
cancerous  ones. 

But,  if  relief  were  not  brought  to  this  physical 
body  and  it  were  left  to  the  destructive  power 
of  the  cancerous  atoms,  then  the  rotary  motion  of 
the  healthy  atoms  would  gradually  become  slower 
and  the  patient's  whole  body  would  become  nega- 
tive to  the  destructive  outlaw  atoms.  Positiveness, 
whether  constructive  or  destructive,  overcomes 
negativeness  everywhere  in  the  Universe ;  and  the 
positive,  destructive,  cancerous  atoms  in  this  pa- 
tient's body  would  gradually  overpower  and 
change  the  rotary  motion  of  the  negatively  con- 
structive ones  until  the  whole  physical  body  and 
blood  would  become  inharmonious  and  cancerous. 
But  if  the  patient  had  evolved  mentally  and 
physically  to  a  state  of  positive  constructiveness, 
then  his  mental  atoms  would  control  his  physical 
atoms  and,  repelling  the  destructive  ones,  prevent 
their  entrance  among  them. 

Observation  and  experience  have  shown  that, 
soon  or  late,  destruction  destroys  itself;  that  a 


66  FRAGMENTS  OF  TRUTH 

destructive  center  continues  to  attract  destructive 
atoms  to  itself  until  there  comes  a  revulsion  among 
the  destructionists  and  it  is  disrupted.  And,  while 
it  is  true  that  destroyers  work  more  rapidly,  while 
they  work,  and  do  more  mischief  in  a  shorter  time 
than  constructionists  can  immediately  rebuild,  yet, 
in  the  Universe,  the  destructionists  are  so  greatly 
outnumbered  by  the  constructionists,  that  evolve- 
ment  of  forms  will  continue  until  the  end  of  this 
Cosmic  Day. 

When  a  oonstructive,  evolving  center,  or  form, 
is  large,  strong  and  positive  enough  to  attract  and 
control  dissipated,  unruly  atoms,  it  can,  by  its 
magnetic  power,  change  the  rotary  motion  of  those 
disisipated  atoms  and  force  them  to  rotate  from 
left  to  right  in  harmony  with  its  own  vibration; 
and  thus  the  destructive  center  may  be  changed  to 
the  constructive  side  of  Nature. 

For  example :  In  Cosmos,  a  comet  that  plunges 
into  a  eun  is,  by  the  superior  magnetic  force  of 
the  sun,  stopped  in  its  career.  Its  atoms  are  com- 
pelled to  vibrate  in  harmony  with  those  of  the  sun 
by  reason  of  the  greater  number  and  superior, 
magnetic  power  of  the  sun's  atoms;  and  the  con- 
sciousness of  the  sun's  atoms  is  so  much  further 
evolved  than  is  the  consciousness  of  the  comet's 
atoms  that  the  sun  absorbs  the  oomet  without 
shock  or  injury  to  itself. 

The  continuation,  or  life,  of  a  center  depends 
upon  its  magnetic  power  to  hold  its  atoms  to- 


VIBRATION  67 

gether,  to  keep  them  vibrating  in  harmony  and, 
also,  to  continuously  attract  new  atoms.  And  an 
individual  mind  must  continually  gain  in  knowl- 
edge and  power  of  concentration,  or  become  stag- 
nant; for  there  is  no  center  in  the  Universe  that 
is  not  changing  for  better,  or  worse,  during  a 
period  of  evolutionary  activity.  Everything  must 
evolve,  or  devolve. 

What  men  call  life  is  evolution.  What  men  call 
death  is  dissolution.  When  the  atoms  composing 
a  man's  physical  body  have  ceased  to  vibrate  at 
a  rate  rapid  enough  for  the  mental,  or  higher,  con- 
sciousness to  hold  them  together,  as  a  center  of 
physical  force,  the  man  has  ceased  to  manifest 
upon  the  material  plane  and  his  physical  atoms 
must  be  dispersed.  The  dispersed  physical  atoms 
will  again  be  attracted  to  other  material  centers 
while  the  same  magnetic  mind  will  create  another 
material  body  by  attracting  other  atoms,  of  a 
higher  rate  of  vibration,  into  its  matrix. 

And  when  this  Cosmic  Day  is  done,  and  this 
period  of  time  has  ended,  the  manifestation  of 
God — Universal  Consciousness — ^will  again  become 
vibrationless.  The  atoms  composing  all  centers 
in  the  Universe  will  cease  to  rotate  and  will  re- 
main motionless  where  they  once  manifested.  And 
it  shall  then  come  to  pass  that,  '*In  the  place  where 
the  tree  falleth,  there  it  shall  be";  and  evolution 
will  rest  until  the  dawn  of  another  Cosmic  Day. 


CHAPTER  FOUR 

COSMIC  EVOLUTION 

In  studying  Cosmic  Evolution,  the  student  has,  for 
his  source  of  information,  only  such  records  as 
were  made  by  ancient  Occultists  and  were  pre- 
served, in  secret  archives,  by  such  custodians  of 
occult  knowledge,  as  succeeded  those  ancient  re- 
corders. And  it  has  been,  only,  during  the  last 
two  decades,  that  any  esoteric  knowledge,  of 
Occultism,  has  been  given,  even  to  students, 
for  the  purpose  of  publication.  But,  now,  since 
the  grossness,  the  immorality,  the  selfishness 
and  the  ignorance  of  the  Piscine  Age  is  soon  to 
disappear  in  the  darkness  of  oblivion,  and,  as  the 
human  race  approaches  the  Aquarian  Cycle  of 
wisdom  and  spiritual  power,  a  few  fragments  of 
occult  knowledge  are  offered.  And  this  is  in  answer 
to  the  soul-hungering  demands  of  the  few  who 
cannot  accept,  as  true,  the  ecclesiastical  dogmas 
for  their  guides  through  life. 

The  desire  to  know  the  truth  about  his  origin, 
why  he  is  here,  how  he  shall  live,  where  he  is  going 
and  what  his  true  relationship  is  to  God  and  to 
his  f ellowmen,  had  brought  forth  from  the  Custo- 
dians of  occult  knowledge  a  few  truths  for  man- 
kind's consideration.   That  all  men  will  not  accept 

68 


COSMIC  EVOLUTION  69 

these  truths  and  live  by  them,  is  a  foregone  con- 
elusion;  but  to  the  few  to  whom  they  appeal, 
they  are  offered  as  aids  in  understanding  some 
of  the  mysteries  of  life. 

To  bring  to  finite  mind  something  of  a  compre- 
hension of  the  evolvement  of  Deity,  It  may  be 
compared  with  the  gestation  and  birth  of  an  in- 
fant, human  body.  The  Custodians  of  occult 
knowledge  have  said,  that,  before  Deity  mani- 
fested any  force.  It  had  lain  for  eons  in  a  vast 
state  of  unconsciousness.  That,  what  is  now  called 
the  Universal  Consciousness,  or  Infinite  Mind, 
was  then  nothing  but  unconscious  passivity.  It 
was  without  form,  was  void;  and  darkness  was 
everywhere. 

As  the  human  infant,  in  gestation,  lies,  for 
months,  in  darkness  in  its  mother's  womb,  so 
Deity  had  lain  unconscious  and  passive.  As  the 
human  infant,  during  its  gestation,  knows  nothing 
and  feels  nothing,  so  Deity,  during  Its  gestation, 
was  without  sensation  and  cognition. 

The  Custodians  of  occult  knowledge  have  said 
that,  in  the  early  morning  of  the  first  Cosmic 
Day,  **  God  alone  was."  That  God  was  in  the 
Universe  and  God  was  the  Universe,  and  still  It 
was  without  form  and  was  void,  and  then  came  the 
first  desire  of  Deity.  As  Its  gestation  came  to  an 
end.  Its  first  desire  awakened  and  that  desire  was 
for  light ;  for,  without  light,  there  could  have  been 
no  material  manifestation  of  Deity  any  more  than, 


70  FRAGMENTS  OF  TRUTH 

without  the  desire  to  exist,  there  could  have  been 
growth,  or  development,  of  the  human  soul.  And 
on  the  morning  of  Deity's  first  natal  day.  Its  first 
manifestation  of  activity  was  at  Its  center,  or 
heart. 

As  the  heart  of  the  unborn  infant  begins  to 
throb  before  it  makes  its  entrance  into  its  physical 
activities,  of  material  expression,  so  did  the  great 
Unconsciousness  begin  Its  light  vibrations  at  Its 
heart  center. 

As  an  illustration:  There  is  a  large  pond  of 
water  lying  motionless ;  not  a  ripple  disturbs  the 
smoothness  of  its  surface.  It  is  cold  and  dark  and 
deep.  Its  great  depth  and  intense  stillness  make 
it  appear  bottomless  and  limitless.  Now  a  tiny 
bubble  appears  in  the  center  upon  the  surface.  It 
is  the  only  spot  of  light  in  the  whole  pond  and  it 
floats  slowly  round  and  round.  Now  another 
bubble  appears  and  follows  the  first  one ;  and  now 
there  is  another  and  another  until  what  seems  a 
tiny  current,  or  eddy,  is  formed. 

At  first  this  current  moves  in  a  small  circle; 
then,  as  more  bubbles  appear,  the  circle  grows  in 
size  and  its  momentum  increases,  and,  the  faster 
the  stream  of  bubbles  moves,  the  larger  grows  the 
circle ;  until,  by  reason  of  its  own  rapid  movement 
and  force  of  expansion,  it  breaks  into  two  portions ; 
but  the  momentum,  or  vibration,  established,  in 
the  stream  of  bubbles  continues  until  the  two 
ends  of  each  half  circle,  unite,  and  where,  in  the 


COSMIC  EVOLUTION  71 

beginning,  there  was  but  one  circle  of  bubbles, 
there  are  now  two,  and  both  of  these  are  whirling 
faster  as  each  circle  becomes  augmented  by  more 
bubbles  coming  to  the  surface  within  the  widening 
radius. 

And  there  is  also  a  peculiar  sound  coming  from 
those  rapidly  moving  bubbles.  It  is  a  sort  of 
rhythmic  murmur  and  increases  in  volume  as  the 
circles  increase  in  size,  number  and  velocity.  But 
when  those  circles  break  and  form  into  smaller 
circles,  the  sound  diminishes  in  volume  to  increase 
again  as  each  new  circle  approaches  its  breaking- 
point. 

And  now  there  are  other  similar  disturbances 
beginning  to  manifest  in  other  parts  of  the  pond ; 
and,  after  a  while,  a  small  portion  of  the  water  is 
filled  with  bubbling,  boiling  maelstroms.  These 
maelstroms  are  large  and  small  vortices  and  each 
is  apparently  moving  about  without  aim  or  pur- 
pose. 

This  illustration  gives  but  a  faint  conception 
of  how  Universal  Consciousness  appeared  on  Its 
first  Cosmic  Day.  The  Custodians  say  all  that 
Deity  accomplished  on  that  first  Day,  was  to 
establish  the  vibration  of  light  and  of  sound — 
which  was  the  direct  result  of  the  vibration  of 
light — and  it  was  then  that  the  Law  of  Cause  and 
Effect  began  to  operate.  It  was  set  into  motion 
when  the  differentiation  of  atoms  began  in  what  is 
now  known  as  the  Universal  Consciousness. 


72  FRAGMENTS  OF  TRUTH 

It  has  been  said  that  the  Universal  Conscious- 
ness is  not  now  self-conscious  in  all  Its  parts. 
That  there  are  areas  so  great,  that  finite  minds 
cannot  conceive  their  vastness,  where  there  is 
neither  light,  nor  sound,  nor  any  kind  of  forms ; 
and  that  it  is  only  through  such  centers,  or  vor- 
tices, as  have  been  created  and  maintained  within 
It,  during  past  eons,  that  Deity  has  been  evolving 
toward  self-consciousness.  That  during  Its  first 
Cosmic,  or  natal  day,  from  Universal  unconscious- 
ness. Deity  became  sub-conscious  in  some  of  Its 
parts,  and  then  came  the  Cosmic  Night  when  all 
vibration  ceased  and,  again,  absolute  unconscious- 
ness prevailed  throughout  the  Universe. 

The  Occultist  says  that  the  Cosmic  Night  which 
follows  a  Cosmic  Day  is  of  equal  length  with  that 
Day,  and,  that,  as  Deity  has  grown  in  strength 
and  has  become  more  sub-conscious.  It  required 
less  time  for  rest,  and,  gradually,  the  Cosmic  Days 
and  Nights  have  grown  shorter  as  Deity  has 
evolved.  That  many  of  the  details  of  minor 
things,  done  each  Cosmic  Day,  are  now  but  repeti- 
tions of  those  of  former  Days ;  and  the  plans  made 
on  the  morning  of  each  Day  can  now  be  fulfilled 
with  greater  rapidity  than  were  those  of  former 
Days ;  that  the  present  Cosmic  Day  will  be  much 
shorter  than  any  of  those  preceding  it,  and  that 
the  Cosmic  Tomorrows  will  continue  to  grow 
shorter  and  still  shorter  as  evolution  proceeds. 

On  the  second  Cosmic  Day,  when  the  Universal 


COSMIC  EVOLUTION  73 

Consciousness  awakened,  and  Its  desire  for 
activity  again  began  to  manifest,  the  first  new 
things  to  be  established  were  the  vibratory  wave 
lengths  in  the  ether.  And,  since  the  vibrations  of 
Its  differentiating  atoms  were  to  be  the  keynotes 
to  the  creation  of  forms,  the  basic  wave  lengths 
of  the  ether  had  to  be  established  before  any 
substantial  form  could  be  produced.* 

As  the  pendulum  of  a  clock  swings  a  longer,  or 
a  shorter,  distance,  according  to  the  length  of 
the  pendulum  and  the  size  of  the  machinery  in  the 
clock,  so  were  the  basic  wave  lengths  of  the  second 
Cosmic  Day  established  according  to  the  strength 
and  consciousness  of  Deity  on  that  Day.  And  it 
is  said  that  the  sound  vibrations  of  the  waves  of 
the  ether  on  that  Day,  could  have  been  written 
on  one  line  and  one  space,  in  the  present  musical 
scale,  and  those  sounds  corresponded  to  those  of 
C  and  D  flat.  That  D  flat  was  the  apex  of  sound 
while  C  was  the  lower  note. 

Three  was  the  completed  number  for  the  etheric 
wave  lengths  of  the  manifesting  atoms  of  the 
Universal  Consciousness  on  the  second  Cosmic 
Day,  and,  from  that  limited  range  in  the  musical 

*  The  following  figures  and  diagram  may  help  to  make  plain 
an  idea  of  the  difiference  in  the  etheric  wave  lengths  of  different 
Cosmic  Days. 


74  FRAGMENTS  OF  TRUTH 

scale,  the  etheric  wave  lengths  have  been  in- 
creased, during  the  succeeding  Cosmic  Days,  until, 
on  the  Day  preceding  this,  number  three,  or  E, 
was  the  apex  of  Its  wave  lengths  and  five  was  then 
the  completed  number. 

But  the  evolution  accomplished  during  that 
Cosmic  Yesterday  was  such  as  to  make  it  possible 
for  the  Universal  Consciousness  to  reach  a  higher 
note  Today,  and  when  the  vibratory  wave  lengths 
of  Today  were  established,  the  range  of  tone 
ran  from  C  to  F,  and  four  became  the  apex  num- 
ber while  seven  was  the  completed  number.  This 
range  of  sound  having  been  established  in  the 
beginning  of  this  Cosmic  Day  the  numbers  four 
and  seven,  and  their  multiples,  are  most  promi- 
nent throughout  all  nature,  as  is  shown  in  the 
number  of  planets  composing  the  completed 
Planetary  Chains  of  Today,  and  in  the  cycles  of 
time  and  Cosmic  Periods,  as  well  as  in  the  various 
other  completed  conditions. 

A  Cosmic  Day  is  an  unrevealed  number  of  solar 
years  of  cosmic  activity.  It  is  a  period  of  time 
that  Herbert  Spencer  described  as  an  era  of  evolu- 
tion, and  is  what  Genesis  describes  as  the  seven 
days  of  Creation.  It  is  the  greatest  cycle  of  time 
and  is  so  vast  that  the  finite  mind  could  not  realize 
its  extent,  if  it  were  to  be  told  the  exact  number 
of  years  it  contains.  It  is  one-half  of  an  eternity, 
and  that  other  half  is  the  Cosmic  Night  that  fol- 
lows it. 


COSMIC  EVOLUTION  75 

A  Cosmic  Day  is  always  divided  into  as  many 
Cosmic  Periods  as  there  are  numbers,  or  notes, 
in  the  basic,  etheric  wave  lengths  for  that  Day; 
and,  because  of  this,  the  Cosmic  Periods  in  the 
Cosmic  Yesterdays  were  necessarily  fewer,  but 
of  greater  length,  than  are  those  of  Today. 

For  example:  The  last  Cosmic  Yesterday  con- 
tained but  five  Cosmic  Periods,  but  each  Period 
was  longer  than  the  Cosmic  periods  of  Today  will 
be.  And  it  should  be  a  source  of  satisfaction  and 
encouragement,  to  finite  minds,  to  know  that  the 
Universal  Consciousness  has  evolved  sufficiently 
to  have  gained  two  extra  Cosmic  Periods  since  the 
last  Cosmic  Yesterday.  This  gain  in  the  number 
of  evolutionary  Periods,  in  this  Cosmic  Day,  is 
also  evidence  of  the  evolvement  of  finite  minds, 
who  are  some  of  the  centers  through  which  Deity 
expresses  Itself. 

During  the  fifth  Period  of  the  last  Cosmic  Yes- 
terday, and  while  Infinite  Mind — God — ^was  pre- 
paring for  rest,  after  the  activities  of  that  Day, 
It  knew  what  It  wished  to  accomplish  Today. 
Through  Its  experiences,  during  Its  preceding 
Cosmic  Days,  It  had  learned  much  that  could  not 
be  expressed  in  forms  again  until  the  great  Uni- 
versal record  had  been  cleaned  of  all  its  remnants 
of  unperfected  expressions  of  Itself,  and  until  a 
fresh,  clean  page  had  been  turned  in  the  book  of 
evolution. 

Among  the  many  things  that  Infinite  Mind  had 


76  FRAGMENTS  OF  TRUTH 

learned,  was  that  attraction  and  repulsion  were 
two  of  Its  most  powerful  and  necessary  forces; 
and  that,  without  the  operation  of  these  forces, 
creation  and  disintegration  of  forms  could  not  be 
accomplished.  And  so,  Infinite  Mind  established 
those  forces  as  permanent  laws  which  would  un- 
derlie the  creation  of  everything  that  should  ever 
become  an  expression  of  Itself  in  the  Universe. 

Near  the  end  of  the  last  Cosmic  Bay,  the  atoms 
that  had  composed  the  suns  and  worlds  of  that 
Period,  and  which  had  functioned  as  Cosmic 
Centers  during  that  Day,  began  to  lose  their  at- 
tracting powers.  Then  their  rotary,  or  generat- 
ing, motions  became  lessened ;  and  then  came  the 
time  when  the  old  suns,  impoverished  because  of 
their  diminishing  magnetic  forces,  became  like 
old,  worn-out  dynamos. 

One  by  one  they  flamed  up  and  their  lights 
went  out;  but,  before  each  had  disappeared,  it 
poured  out  the  last  of  its  forces  in  a  blaze  of  glory. 
Then  the  moons,  that  had  reflected  the  light  from 
those  old  suns,  losing  their  sources  of  supply, 
also  were  darkened  and  disappeared.  They  be- 
came dead  globes  floating  aimlessly  in  space ;  and 
thus  it  was  at  the  closing  of  the  last  great  Cosmic 
Period,  as  the  end  approached,  the  lights  in  the 
heavens  went  out  one  by  one. 

It  was  in  the  portions  of  the  Universe  far- 
thest from  the  great  Central  Suns  that  disintegra- 
tion began.    Since  those  remote  suns  and  worlds 


COSMIC  EVOLUTION  77 

and  stars  had  evolved  the  least,  they  were  de- 
stroyed first.  It  was  the  weakest  and  smallest  of 
Cosmic  expressions  of  Infinite  Mind  that  went 
first  because  the  survival  of  the  fittest  was,  and 
will  be,  the  rule  by  which  Deity  has  measured,  and 
will  measure,  the  length  of  the  existence  of  Its 
experiences  and  expressions. 

Like  an  aged  human  form,  when  its  days  of 
usefulness  are  waning,  and,  when,  through  its 
lack  of  vital  force,  it  feels  its  inability  to  serve, 
the  life  principle,  or  vital  energy,  begins  to  recede 
first  from  its  extremities.  The  hands  and  feet 
become  powerless  to  obey  the  mind  within,  and 
then,  gradually,  the  whole  body  loses  its  magnetic 
power.  As  a  de-sensitized  photographic  plate 
fails  to  register  a  picture  of  the  object  exposed  to 
it,  so  does  the  old,  useless  brain  fail  to  register  the 
thoughts  that  Infinite  Mind  desires  to  express 
through  it. 

In  other  Cosmic  Days,  gradually,  as  each  center 
became  abandoned  by  its  dependents,  one  by  one 
those  centers  were  disintegrated;  since  each  had 
fulfilled  its  mission — ^had  given  to  Infinite  Mind 
the  experience  It  desired — and  was  no  longer 
needed  for  that  particular  form  of  expression. 

To  Infinite  Mind,  the  disintegration  of  a  sun 
or  a  world,  is  but  a  momentary  incident;  but  to 
finite  mind,  such  disintegration,  or  destruction, 
seems  ages  and  ages  in  accomplishment,  and  ter- 
rible to  witness.    For  it  is  with  tremendous  elec- 


78  FRAGMENTS  OF  TRUTH 

trical  shocks  that  the  satellites  of  a  disrupted  sun 
receive  its  dying  messages  of  light  and  life  forces. 
For  a  time,  the  satellites  and  all  the  creatures 
living  upon  them  riot  madly;  and  then,  like 
drunken  men,  the  undeveloped  finite  minds  cease 
all  creative  work  and  spend  their  time  in  follies, 
or  in  vices. 

As  any  unwise  individual,  who  has  received  an 
inheritance,  for  which  he  has  given  nothing  in 
return,  spends  that  inheritance  in  riotous  living, 
so  do  the  undeveloped  finite  minds,  on  receiving 
the  last  messages  of  life  from  their  dying  sun,  ex- 
haust those  forces,  and  themselves,  in  excessive 
emotionalism,  while  the  more  developed  finite 
minds,  feeling  that  the  night  is  coming,  when  no 
man  can  work,  intensify  their  efforts  to  gain 
more  in  their  development  before  the  light  goes 
wholly  out. 

And  it  is  during  the  maddened  rush  of  unde- 
veloped finite  minds,  to  grasp  and  to  hold  all 
that  they  can  gain  of  material  possessions,  that 
great  injustices  are  done  and  terrible  wars  are 
declared  and  fought  upon  a  planet.  It  is  then 
that  nations  rise  against  nations  and  individuals 
against  individuals.  It  is  during  those  last  days 
of  a  Cosmic  Period,  or  Cycle,  that  great  crimes 
are  committed  and  that  colossal  cruelties  and  in- 
human selfishness  are  manifested  between  indi- 
viduals composing  a  nation,  or  a  race.  And  at 
such  times  great  pressure  is  brought  to  bear  upon 


COSMIC  EVOLUTION  79 

all  the  inhabitants  of  a  world.  Forces  are  poured 
upon  both  animals  and  human  beings  to  bring 
forth  the  best,  or  the  worst,  in  their  natures.  If 
an  animal,  or  a  human  mind,  has  more  evil  than 
good  in  its  nature,  the  evil  will  come  to  the  sur- 
face and  manifest  to  the  exclusion  of  the  good. 
But  if  there  is  more  good  than  evil  then  the  good 
will  manifest  and  the  evil  will  be  held  in  abeyance. 

And  whether  a  sun  is  great,  or  small,  as  the  end 
of  a  great  Cosmic  Period  approaches,  the  Solar 
Deities,  who  created  and  control  it,  compel  it  to 
give  of  its  force  all  that  it  is  capable  of  giving  to 
hasten  the  evolvement  of  the  creatures  depending 
upon  it  for  life  and  magnetic  power.  And,  in  look- 
ing about  on  this  mundane  sphere,  there  are  many- 
strange  and  chaotic  conditions  that  could  not  be 
understood  were  it  not  for  the  explanations  given 
by  the  Custodians  of  occult  knowledge. 

For  here  are  men  and  women  working  their 
bodies  and  brains  almost  to  the  breaking-point; 
and  yet,  no  one,  on  this  plane  of  consciousness, 
seems  to  know  the  cause  of  the  pressure  being 
put  upon  them.  Some  men  feel  that  they  must 
amass  fortunes  and  slave  night  and  day  for  money 
and  for  property;  and  then,  suddenly  and  un- 
accountably, they  are  seized  with  a  desire  to  spend 
their  wealth ;  and  drive  their  bodies  into  a  state 
of  nervous  prostration  in  their  efforts  to  scatter 
it. 

Some  students  feel  the  same  Cosmic  pressure 


80  FRAGMENTS  OF  TRUTH 

and  think  ambition  is  forcing  them  to  study.  They 
drive  themselves  into  brain  fever,  perhaps,  in 
their  efforts  to  accomplish  the  impossible  in  a  few 
years.  And  now  all  humanity  upon  this  earth  is 
rushing  faster  and  faster;  every  conceivable  thing 
is  invented  and  put  into  use  to  speed  on  this 
terrific  rush ;  and  when  men  are  asked  what  they 
are  rushing  after,  every  one  has  a  different  reason 
to  give  for  his  hurry. 

It  is  said  by  those  who  claim  to  know  the  truth, 
that  on  every  planet  in  the  Universe,  where  men 
and  things  are  evolving,  this  same  pressure  is 
manifesting ;  and  it  is  because  it  is  now  the  Cosmic 
Saturday  afternoon  for  the  sixth  great  Cosmic 
Period  in  this  Cosmic  Day;  and,  humanity,  un- 
conscious of  the  cause  of  its  tremendous  haste,  is 
getting  ready  for  the  Cosmic  Sabbath  near  at 
hand.  Humanity  is  on  the  home  stretch,  as  it 
were,  toward  the  new  cycle  of  evolution  and  is 
making  its  best  time  to  reach  the  goal  of  perfec- 
tion for  this  Cosmic  Day.  The  Universal  Con- 
sciousness is  finishing  Its  work  for  this  Cosmic 
Day,  and  there  is  still  much  to  accomplish  by  every 
individualized  center,  before  the  great  Night 
comes  on. 

In  the  morning  of  the  Seventh  Cosmic  Period, 
the  last  human  classes  will  be  heard  and  the  final 
examinations  will  be  made  iii  this  great  evolu- 
tionary school.  Such  souls  as  have  gained  the 
right,  by  reason  of  their  persistent  effort  and  in- 


COSMIC  EVOLUTION  81 

dividual  growth,  to  stand  in  the  highest  classes 
will  become  the  greatest  products  of  this  Cosmic 
Day;  and  when  the  Cosmic  Night  comes,  they  will 
not  lose  their  individuality  for  which  they  have 
striven.  But,  those  who  have  been  too  weak,  or 
too  wicked,  to  gain  that  distinction  will  go  back 
into  the  bosom  of  the  Infinite. 

Near  the  end  of  the  Cosmic  Sabbath,  there  will 
first  begin  to  be  a  diminution  in  the  vibration  of 
the  ether.  The  magnetic  power  now  moving  the 
denser  planets  in  the  Universe  will  be  gradually 
withdrawn  and  that  great  stimulating  Force  will 
slowly  begin  to  flow  out  into  the  Cosmic  Currents 
surrounding  those  planets.  This  will  cause  the  dis- 
integration of  some  of  the  grosser,  material  forms 
upon  the  denser  worlds,  and  then,  as  an  aged  and 
decrepit  person,  from  whose  body  the  magnetic 
forces  are  going,  moves  falteringly  and  slowly, 
so  the  great  planets,  once  filled  with  electrical 
force,  will  begin  to  move  less  rapidly.  Then  their 
daily  revolutions  will  be  slower  because  the  atoms 
of  which  they  are  composed  will  be  vibrating 
slower.  And,  as  the  magnetic  attraction  within 
them  grows  weaker,  the  atoms  of  which  they  are 
composed  will  be  held  less  closely  together  and 
there  will  be  seen  many  strange  phenomena  in  the 
heavens. 

After  the  planets  that  vibrate  as  red  and  green 
have  been  disintegrated,  the  next  higher  grades 
will  begin  going  through  the  same  disintegrating 


82  FRAGMENTS  OF  TRUTH 

process,  ^nd,  after  a  time,  they,  too,  will  pass  into 
Cosmic,  Occult  history  and  with  them  will  go  all 
the  procrastinated  evolution  of  men  and  matter 
which  belonged  to  them.  Afterwards  only  the 
seventh  class  of  planets  will  be  left  in  the  Uni- 
verse and  upon  these  will  be  no  men  with  material 
bodies,  for  such  souls  will  have  then  evolved  to 
Beings  with  Godlike  wisdom  and  power ;  and  they 
will  be  the  ripened  fruit  of  this  Cosmic  Day. 

And  then  those  Beings  will  have  passed  beyond 
the  limitations  of  worlds,  and  beyond  the  grosser 
grades  of  matter.  They  will  have  become  sunlike 
centers  of  consciousness  in  the  unconfined  realms 
of  Omniscient  Mind.  And,  finally,  all  the  ma- 
terial Universe  will  cease  to  exist,  as  forms,  and 
the  long  rest  for  God  and  Gods  will  again  begin. 


CHAPTER  FIVE 

MOSES  THE  MAGICIAN 

A  Study  in  the  Law  of  Compensation 

All  values  are  relative  and  are  due  to  our  con- 
stantly changing  perspective.  This  is  true  in 
every  department  of  an  evolving  ego's  life;  but 
nowhere  is  it  more  clearly  accentuated  than  in 
the  books  he  reads — particularly  religious,  or 
philosophic  books.  Looked  at  from  a  literary 
viewpoint,  there  is  nothing  more  sublime,  imagina- 
tive, dramatic,  or  more  poetical,  than  the  books  of 
the  Old  Testament.  They  are  as  powerful  in 
their  delineation  of  character,  of  emotion  and  of 
events  as  anything  derived  from  Hellenic  sources 
— ^now  considered,  by  many,  as  the  standard  of 
ancient  literature. 

Looked  at  from  the  viewpoint  of  history,  one 
gets  a  different  perspective  of  these  books,  and, 
therefore,  esteems  them  differently.  Their  his- 
torical pretensions  are  prodigious;  covering  the 
genesis  of  evolution,  the  formation  of  worlds,  the 
creation  of  man  and  the  birth,  maturity,  old  age 
and  death  of  all  prior  peoples  and  nations.  But  a 
wider  reading  and  a  deeper  study,  along  parallel 
lines,  bring  the  inevitable  conclusion  that  the  Old 

83 


84  FRAGMENTS  OF  TRUTH 

Testament  books  are  not  as  catholic  as  they  claim 
to  be,  and  are  not  any  more  accurate  than  other 
history.  The  scientific  subjects,  also,  are  not  as 
fully  covered  as  in  other  books,  dealing  with  a 
more  limited  field,  or  by  other  historical  works, 
appertaining  to  particular  tribes,  or  nations. 

A  critical  examination  of  the  Old  Testament 
books  reveals  that  they  are  not  chronological, 
either  in  the  order  of  their  arrangement,  or  in  the 
sequence  of  narrated  events. 

For  example :  taking  the  cosmogony  of  the  first 
two  chapters  of  Genesis.  It  is  patent  it  would 
have  been  a  physical  impossibility  for  events 
to  have  occurred  in  the  sequence  in  which  they 
are  described.  Life  could  not  have  been  sus- 
tained, upon  a  planet,  under  conditions  such  as 
are  depicted  in  the  present  version ;  and  yet,  most 
of  the  separate  facts  are  substantially  true, 
but  collectively  and  chronologically  they  are 
incorrect. 

It  must  be  remembered  that  these  books  were 
written  by  individuals  to  give  the  history  of  a 
particular  tribe,  or  nation.  As  light  is  colored  by 
the  medium  through  which  it  is  transmitted,  so 
truth  is  always  colored  by  the  instrumentality 
through  which  it  is  revealed,  which  was  well  illus- 
trated by  the  story  of  the  lions. 

A  lioness  took  her  cubs  into  a  deserted  art  gal- 
lery, where,  on  the  wall,  was  hanging  a  great  paint- 
ing of  Samson.    He,  stripped  to  the  waist,  had  a 


MOSES  THE  MAGICIAN  85 

lion's  mouth  stretched  wide  and  was  tearing  it 
apart.  A  cub  said  to  its  mother,  *^How  could  it 
be  possible  for  a  mere  man  to  rend,  in  this  manner, 
a  lion  as  strong  as  our  father!'' 

The  lioness  replied:  **The  painting  was  by  a 
man." 

And,  in  reading  history,  one  must  always  take 
into  consideration  the  purpose  for  which  it  was 
written  and  the  character  of  the  author.  In  read- 
ing political  history,  in  the  Old  Testament,  one 
must  make  due  allowance  for  the  personal  preju- 
dices of  the  writers  and  for  the  limitation  of  edu- 
cation at  the  time  the  books  were  written. 

Viewed  as  a  religious  history,  the  whole  per- 
spective changes.  If  the  intent  of  those  writers 
was  to  narrate  circumstances  and  events  in  such 
a  manner  as  to  throw  the  religious  history  of  a 
race  into  the  foreground,  and,  through  that  means, 
to  preserve  the  ethical  truths  which  were  con- 
tained in  it,  then  those  books  are  still  valuable. 

From  this  viewpoint,  Genesis  may  be  summar- 
ized as  a  description  of  the  creation  of  the  Uni- 
verse, and,  more  particularly,  of  this  planet ;  and 
of  the  effort  made  by  the  Elohim  to  evolve  pro- 
gressive men  to  inhabit  the  world  thus  formed — 
men  whose  lives  should  manifest  the  divine  intent. 
Through  the  various  chapters  of  Genesis  this 
idea  is  carried  out,  and  the  narration  of  incidents 
and  the  biographies  of  individuals  merely  throw 
into  the  foreground  the  purpose  of  creation.    But, 


86  FRAGMENTS  OF  TRUTH 

man's  ever-growing  imperfections  marred  the 
Divine  Plan,  and  the  Elohim,  not  to  be  defeated 
in  Their  purpose,  swept  the  spiritual  failures 
from  the  earth  in  the  deluge.  After  that  came  the 
second  effort  at  evolution  when  the  same  Divine 
Intent  was  manifested  and  the  children  of  Noah 
began  to  carry  it  out.  Some  of  them  partially 
succeeded  and  were,  according  to  the  Jewish  his- 
torians, the  forefathers  of  their  race,  while  those 
who  failed  went  to  other  parts  of  the  earth  to  be 
subsequently  conquered  by  those  who  had  faith- 
fully carried  out  the  Divine  Mandates. 

Abraham,  the  father  of  the  multitude,  as  the 
name  indicates,  welded  a  tribal,  nomadic  people 
into  a  composite  race  and  became  their  patriarch. 
Through  Joseph,  according  to  Biblical  records, 
this  race  came  into  close  relationship  with  the 
Egyptians — though  they  never  amalgamated. 
Their  strong,  animal  desires  to  procreate,  wedded 
to  the  politico-theological  belief  that  they  should 
multiply  and  replenish  the  earth,  caused  the  Jews 
to  rapidly  increase  in  number.  This  fast  grow- 
ing race  was  inferior,  mentally,  to  the  Egyptians, 
who  soon  exploited  them — as  is  the  custom  of 
morally  undeveloped  men  in  this  relationship. 
Then  the  Jews  revolted  against  their  physical, 
social  and  economic  conditions  and  determined  to 
migrate  and  express  themselves,  nationally,  else- 
where. 

Every  mental  demand,  persisted  id,  meets  in 


MOSES  THE  MAGICIAN  87 

time  its  supply  and  Moses  was  the  answer  to  the 
prayers,  for  freedom,  of  the  enslaved  Jews. 

There  was  much  "of  an  historical  duplication  in 
the  economic  and  political  conditions  of  the  Jews, 
in  the  time  of  Moses,  and  in  that  of  Jesus,  for  both 
leaders  came  to  that  people  to  perform  a  similar 
service ;  though,  in  the  case  of  Jesus,  the  mission 
was  subsequently  broadened.  There  was  also 
some  similarity  in  the  biographies  of  each  of  them. 
At  the  time  of  the  birth  of  each,  the  conquerors 
of  the  Jews  had  become  apprehensive  about 
the  fast  increasing  man  power  of  their  people — 
an  increase  which  the  rulers  could  not  economi- 
cally utilize  and  which,  therefore,  became  a  politi- 
cal peril.  Therefore,  just  previous  to  the  birth 
of  each  of  those  leaders  an  edict  was  issued  that 
aU  new  born  male  children,  of  the  Jews,  should  be 
destroyed,  and  it  became  necessary,  through  some 
device,  to  save  the  infant  bodies  of  the  respective 
future  Saviours.  The  parallel  could  be  consider- 
ably extended,  and  the  student  may  find  it  profita- 
ble to  continue  it,  as  showing  the  evolutionary 
plan,  but  the  immediate  purport  of  this  Chapter 
is  to  make  a  sketch  of  the  exoteric  and  the  esoteric 
Moses,  and  of  the  working  of  the  Law  of  Com- 
pensation. 

According  to  the  Bible,  Amram  married  his 
aunt  Jochebed  and  Moses  was  one  of  the  issue  of 
that  union.  To  protect  the  child's  life,  he  was 
hidden  in  the  bulrushes,  and  there,  came  to  the 


I 

88  FRAGMENTS  OF  TRUTH 

attention  of  Pharaoh's  daughter  who  adopted  him. 
The  new  relationship  was  a  most  fortunate  one 
for  Moses,  shaping,  as  it  did,  his  career. 

All  ancient  nations  passed  through  two,  and,  the 
more  highly  developed,  through  three,  stages  of 
national  life.  First,  the  rule  by  priestcraft;  sec- 
ond, the  rule  by  kingcraft,  and,  if  the  masses 
evolved,  the  rule  by  the  people  themselves,  or 
by  democracy.  At  the  time  of  Moses,  Egypt  had 
a  monarchical  form  of  government,  and,  therefore, 
the  King  was  the  supreme  political  power  in  the 
land.  The  Hierophants,  or  priests,  were  the  cus- 
todians of  the  arts,  sciences  and  religion.  All 
instruction  was  in  their  hands  and  only  the  few 
were  permitted  to  receive  an  education.  For 
political  reasons,  such  opportunities  were  not  ex- 
tended to  the  Jews ;  but,  by  reason  of  royal  favor 
and  influence,  all  educational  doors  were  thrown 
open  to  Moses  and  he  availed  himself  of  these 
advantages,  to  the  full  extent  granted  to  him,  and, 
finally,  became  an  initiate  into  the  priestly  caste. 
Among  the  most  cherished  branches  of  learning, 
possessed  by  the  priesthood,  was  Magic.  It  was 
both  the  credential  of  their  superiority  and  the 
source  of  their  power.  This  magic  was  not  of 
the  higher  order,  which  teaches  the  method  of 
unifying  the  human  with  the  Divine  Conscious- 
ness, and  the  various  uses  of  the  Spiritual  Forces 
of  Nature,  but  it  belonged  to  the  lesser  mysteries 
and  was  confined  to  the  production  of  phenomena. 


MOSES  THE  MAGICIAN  89 

And  then,  as  now,  it  was  phenomena,  not  philoso- 
phy, which  attracted,  awed  and  convinced  the 
masses. 

The  turning-point,  in  the  career  of  Moses,  ac- 
cording to  the  Scriptures,  was  his  alleged  experi- 
ence at  the  mountain  of  Horeb,  where,  it  is  said, 
he  met  the  Angel  of  the  Lord.  It  is  a  matter  of 
common  knowledge  that,  below  man,  there  is  a 
descending  scale  of  consciousnesses,  from  the 
mammoth  to  the  mouse,  and,  lower  still,  are  other 
varying  scales.  It  is  only  logical  to  assume,  there- 
fore, that  above  man  there  is  an  ascending  scale 
of  Beings.  In  the  old  Jewish  system  of  classifica- 
tion, such  superior  Intelligences  were  called 
Saints,  Angels,  Archangels,  Cherubim,  Sera- 
phim, and  Elohim. 

An  Angel  is  one  who  has  learned  all  the  lessons 
of  life  which  can  be  learned  on  each  of  the  seven 
worlds  that  constitute  a  planetary  chain.  It  is 
one  of  the  lesser  Gods;  one  whom  the  Occultists 
designate  as  a  Master. 

All  through  sacred  literature  there  are  refer- 
ences to  Angels '  visits ;  and  whenever  one  of  these 
Beings  appeared  to  a  person,  it  meant  that  a  crisis 
and  a  drastic  change  had  come  in  that  individuaPs 
life,  as  the  biographies  of  Elizabeth,  Mary,  Peter, 
David,  Elijah,  Zacharias,  Paul,  Herod  and  others 
disclose. 

Moses  knew  that  it  would  make  a  great  and 
lasting  impression  upon  his  people  if  they  were 


90  FRAGMENTS  OF  TRUTH 

informed  that  he  had  been  visited  by  a  Celestial 
Being,  and  that  they  would  give  credence  to  his 
mission  which  they  might  otherwise  withhold ;  for, 
according  to  tradition,  such  visitations  were 
usually  followed  by  stirring  events  that  helped 
to  shape  the  subsequent  history  of  the  world. 
Moses,  therefore,  announced  that  he  had  met  the 
Angel  of  the  Lord,  at  Horeb,  and  claimed  Divine 
authorization  for  his  mission. 

All  ancient,  exoteric  history  is,  more  or  less, 
erroneous,  due  to  the  ignorance,  or  intent,  of  the 
historians;  and  the  more  ancient  the  history  the 
greater  the  falsification,  or  the  prejudice.  This 
must  be  apparent  even  to  the  most  casual  reader 
and  thinker;  for,  no  one  would  write  contempo- 
raneous history  of  his  cruel,  evil  ruler  when  the 
life  of  the  writer  would  be  the  price  of  the  truth ; 
and  more  ancient  history  could  not  be  accurately 
written  for  lack  of  verifiable  data. 

When  the  history  of  any  person,  or  event,  is 
written  by  a  sympathizer,  or  a  sycophant,  and 
there  is  no  record  to  the  contrary,  one  must  use 
extra  caution  and  judgment  in  accepting  the 
narrative.  It  is  only  when  an  historical  person,  or 
event,  is  also  described  by  opponents  that  one  can 
approximate  the  truth. 

"The  ancient  historians  of  the  Hebrew  race  were 
all  Jews,  writing,  primarily,  for  Jews,  and,  there- 
fore, only  a  one-sided  view  of  their  history  is  pre- 
sented.   But  an  effort  seems  to  have  been  made  to 


MOSES  THE  MAGICIAN  91 

accurately  portray  the  character^of  Moses,  as  they 
understood  it.  According  to  the  writer  of  Exodus, 
Moses  was  an  enthusiastic  reformer,  but  lacked 
the  spirit  of  the  martyr;  he  criticized,  severely, 
the  Egyptians  and  his  own  people,  but  could  not 
stand  the  criticism  of  his  followers;  he  was  a  man 
convinced  of  his  own  mission  and,  yet,  was  forever 
importuning  his  Lord  to  convince  his  people  of  it ; 
an  inspirer  of  physical  prowess  while  possessing 
only  the  courage  of  the  assassin;  one  command- 
ing great  influence  at  Court,  but  having  no  moral 
courage  to  exert  it;  impressed  with  his  ordina- 
tion, but  unstable  in  his  efforts  to  fulfil  it;  com- 
manded his  people  to  refrain  from  lying,  and 
conspired  with  God  to  deceive  Pharaoh;  some- 
times an  able  general  and  again  committed  in- 
credible blunders;  completely  dominated  his 
people,  generally,  but  occasionally  lost  entire 
control  of  them;  divinely  inspired,  and  yet,  blun- 
dered for  forty  years  in  crossing  a  land  that 
should  not  have  taken  that  number  of  months; 
controlled  God's  anger,  and,  over  the  same  event, 
lost  his  own  temper;  as  an  organizer  made 
mistakes,  at  critical  times,  but,  with  Jethro, 
formed  a  priestly  order  that  has  lasted  to  the 
present  day. 

Such  inconceivable  contradictions  are  attrib- 
uted by  the  ancient  records  to  this  complex  char- 
acter. And  yet,  in  spite  of  this  description,  there 
is  a  connecting  thread  of  consistency  running 


92  FRAGMENTS  OF  TRUTH 

through  the  history  of  Moses  which  carries  the 
conviction  that  he  was  a  leader  of  men,  and  su- 
perior to  his  contemporaries  in  knowledge  and 
power.  But  it  was  manifestly  impossible  that 
any  such  contradictory  character  could  have  suc- 
cessfully performed  the  work  which  Moses  did. 
It  required  strength,  fearlessness,  consistency, 
perseverance,  self-control,  experience  and  a  great 
knowledge  of  human  nature.  That  Moses  had 
such  knowledge,  is  disclosed  by  the  laws  which  he 
formulated  for  his  race ;  and  it  is  only  logical  to 
assume  that  he  possessed  the  other  necessary  at- 
tributes. He  was  not  understood  by  his  contem- 
poraries, nor  by  his  biographers;  but  the  Jewish 
race  has  always  reverenced  him  in  its  heart  and 
has  taken  a  grateful  pride  in  him  as  a  liberator 
— enjoying  the  fruit  of  his  efforts  more  than 
realizing  the  source  of  his  power. 

The  enigmatic  character  of  Moses  can  only  be 
made  clear  by  occult  records  accessible,  exclu- 
sively, to  accepted  students  of  esotericism.  These 
records  are  impartial,  accurate  and  of  more  than 
one  kind.  They  consist  first  of  the  pictures  in  the 
aura  of  the  world;  for,  like  man,  it  has  its  own 
photosphere,  and  in  it  are  photographed  all  man's 
creative  thoughts  that  have  matured  into  acts. 
These  pictures  are  as  accurate  as  any  photograph, 
and,  produced  unconsciously  to  man,  record  not 
only  his  acts  but  his  thoughts,  motives  and  char- 
acter; and  in  each  man's  photosphere  is  pictured 


MOSES  THE  MAGICIAN  93 

his  personal  history.  Both  of  these  are  referred 
to  in  Daniel  and  in  Kevelation  as  **The  Books  of 
Judgment. '* 

Then  there  are  the  written  records  prepared  by 
unbiased  observers— Occultists — who  preserved 
their  chronicles  for  the  benefit  of  future  students. 
When  Plato  visited  Egypt  and  was  fortunate 
enough  to  be  admitted,  as  a  student,  under  the 
Hierophants,  he  was  shown  esoteric  records  which 
the  Egyptians  claimed  had  been  uninterruptedly 
kept  for  thousands  of  years,  antedating  the  sink- 
ing of  Atlantis.  And  there  are  other  records,  in 
Arabia,  accessible  to  advanced  students  of  Occult- 
ism, which  give  incidents,  in  Cosmic  and  mundane 
history,  prior  to  anything  the  Egyptians  had. 
And  it  was  from  this  source  that  the  Occultists 
drew  their  inspiration  in  the  eighth  century,  when 
they  caused  schools  to  be  established,  in  Arabia 
and  in  Spain,  for  the  enlightenment  of  the 
world. 

Atlantis  was  a  large  continent  in  the  ocean  be- 
tween Europe  and  Africa  on  the  east  and  the 
Americas  on  the  west,  and  was  divided  into  five 
great  kingdoms.  The  reigning  and  the  priestly 
classes,  in  each  kingdom,  were  students  of  lesser 
Occultism  and  gave  particular  attention  to  hypno- 
tism, mental  suggestion  and  magic.  They  be- 
came very  proficient  in  the  use  of  these  occult 
powers,  but,  because  their  characters  were  inferior 
to  their  mental  accomplishments,  they  perverted 


94  FRAGMENTS  OF  TRUTH 

their  powers  and  used  them  to  dominate  and  ex- 
ploit the  masses. 

All  abuse  of  power,  not  alone  on  the  physical 
plane,  but  on  the  mental  plane  also,  in  time,  brings 
retribution.  History  records  many  cases  where 
an  exploited  and  enslaved  class  has  risen,  in  un- 
controlled fury,  against  its  rulers  and  wreaked 
its  vengeance  upon  them.  But  humanity  has  yet 
to  learn  that  its  misuse  of  occult  forces  brings, 
with  certitude,  its  retribution. 

In  the  readjustment  of  perverted  occult  forces 
there  is  frequently  a  repercussion  upon  the  physi- 
cal plane.  And  if  the  misuse  has  been  continuous 
and  general  among  a  class,  or  a  nation,  then  the 
repercussion  is  often  cataclysmic  in  its  nature. 

The  Occultists  of  a  higher  order,  in  Atlantis, 
knowing  their  Continent  was  imperilled  by  the 
mental  practices  of  the  ruling  class  and  the  de- 
pravity of  the  five  nations,  collected  the  cream 
of  the  race,  and  divided  it  into  two  groups.  Those 
who  lived  in  the  western  kingdoms  went  to  Yuca- 
tan and  Central  America  and  laid  there  the  foun- 
dations of  a  civilization  that  has  passed  away, 
leaving  only  fragments  of  their  history  carved  on, 
now  decaying,  ruins. 

The  selected  members  of  the  second,  and  larger, 
group,  journeyed  east  into  northern  Africa  and, 
eventually,  established  the  Egyptian  nation.  The 
leader  of  the  latter  exodus  was  a  prominent  priest 
of  the  middle  kingdom,  who  had  acquired  a  greater 


MOSES  THE  MAGICIAN  95 

proficiency  in  magic  than  his  associates.  He 
was  a  man  of  courage,  determination  and  power. 
Like  others  of  the  priesthood,  he  had  not  used  his 
power  wisely  at  all  times  nor  was  his  character 
admirable  in  many  respects.  His  dominant  char- 
acteristic was  thirst  for  power,  but  he  was  wiser 
and  better  than  most  men  of  his  period. 

On  account  of  the  number  involved,  the  time 
consumed,  the  distance  covered,  and  its  reflex 
action  upon  the  affairs  of  the  world,  this  was  the 
greatest  exodus  of  history.  It  required  great 
diplomacy,  on  the  part  of  the  leader,  to  conduct 
the  constantly  increasing  body  of  fugitives  across 
a  wide  continent  inhabited  by  people  hostile  to 
the  movement.  There  was  constant  friction  from 
without  and  from  within.  The  continent  was 
fairly  well  populated  and  the  numerous  towns  and 
cities  had  to  be  avoided  to  get  the  requisite 
camping  sites  and  supplies  of  food  and  water. 
Often  camps  were  made  on  the  same  site  for  sev- 
eral successive  seasons,  in  order  to  raise  sufficient 
food  supplies  for  further  journeying.  But  the 
greatest  trials  came  while  the  travellers  were 
passing  through  the  easternmost  kingdom;  there 
they  were  constantly  harassed  and  finally  threat- 
ened with  slavery.  But  their  able  leader  proved 
a  successful  general  in  fighting  their  enemies,  and 
safely  conducted  the  fugitives  across  the  narrow 
peninsula  connecting  Atlantis  with  Africa.  As 
the  last  of  the  pilgrims  passed  into  the  promised 


96  FRAGMENTS  OF  TRUTH 

land,  the  Continent  of  Atlantis  was  submerged; 
and  this  was  the  foundation  of  the  story  of  the 
flood  which  has  been  preserved,  in  some  form,  by 
all  nations — it  was  also  the  basis  of  the  story 
of  the  Red  Sea  engulfing  Pharaoh  and  his 
armies. 

While  it  is  true  that  these  emigrants  were  the 
cream  of  the  Atlantean  race,  it  should  be  remem- 
bered that  the  thickness  and  richness  of  cream  is 
dependent  upon  the  quality  of  the  milk,  and  there 
was  little  milk  of  human  kindness  in  Atlantis. 
In  fact,  the  people  were  so  degenerate,  the  Occult 
records  say,  that  the  Planetary  Spirits  had  almost 
determined  to  let  the  entire  race  be  destroyed, 
bodies  and  souls,  and  to  attempt  the  creation  of 
a  better  race  of  men.  But  one  of  the  Great  Gods 
volunteered  to  assume  the  burden  of  redeeming 
the  people,  so  far  as  it  was  possible  to  do.  The 
others  consented  to  His  oblation,  and,  by  selecting 
the  best  of  the  Atlanteans,  for  the  seed  of  a  higher 
civilization,  He  commenced  His  e:fforts  in  behalf 
of  humanity. 

This  is  not  very  complimentary  to  present 
humanity,  when  it  is  remembered  that  it  is  the 
reincarnation  of  the  Atlanteans,  but  analysis  of 
the  present  so-called  civilization  may  give  addi- 
tional weight  to  the  occult  records  referred  to, 
as  well  as  show  how  slowly  men  evolve  in 
thousands  of  years. 

The  selection  of  this  body  of  men,  for  preserva- 


MOSES  THE  MAGICIAN  97 

tion,  gave  rise  to  the  tradition  of  a  **  chosen 
people/'  and,  in  sentiment,  if  not  in  actual  terms, 
has  been  carefully  cultivated  by  all  subsequent 
nations. 

As  the  itinerants  journeyed  through  northwest 
Africa,  they  met  a  semi-barbaric,  nomadic  tribe, 
which  they  pressed  into  service  as  burden  bearers, 
and  this  tribe,  in  time,  became  the  Jewish  race; 
and,  were  it  not  for  similar  incidents  constantly 
repeated  in  history,  it  would  seem  almost  incredi- 
ble that  men,  who  had  fought  for  their  own  free- 
dom, would,  at  the  first  opportunity,  enslave 
others. 

By  reason  of  their  numerical  strength,  their 
warlike  training  and  their  knowledge  of  the  use  of 
Occult  Forces,  it  was  easy  for  the  escaped  At- 
lanteans  to  hold  in  subjection  the  less  developed 
Jews.  The  Atlantean  leader,  who,  for  conven- 
ience, will  be  called  Moses,  though  that  did  not 
become  his  name  until  a  subsequent  incarnation, 
was  able,  by  his  knowledge  of  magic,  to  not  only 
awe  the  Jews,  but  also  to  continue  his  authority 
over  his  own  people. 

During  the  balance  of  the  great  Exodus,  the  evo- 
lutionary position  of  the  Jews  was  similar  to  that 
of  the  negro  in  America,  prior  to  his  enfranchise- 
ment. The  close  association  of  an  inferior  race, 
with  a  superior  one,  always  quickens  the  evolution 
of  the  lower  but  debases  the  higher ;  and  where  the 
association  is  that  of  master  and  slave,  grave  in- 


98  FRAGMENTS  OF  TRUTH 

dividual  wrongs  frequently  arise  whicli  further 
entangle  the  threads  of  destiny. 

One  of  the  chief  defects  in  the  character  of 
humanity  is  the  desire  to  ^'get  something  for 
nothing' ';  and  every  man,  through  self-examina- 
tion, can  gauge  his  own  evolutionary  growth  by 
finding  out  how  far  that  human  weakness  has  been 
supplanted,  in  him,  by  a  sense  of  justice — ^by  the 
desire  to  make  reciprocity  a  rule  in  his  life. 

Slavery,  either  physical  or  industrial,  is  the  re- 
sult of  a  national  effort  to  **get  something  for 
nothing'';  and  slavery  always  engenders  compen- 
satory consequences.  The  Law  of  Equilibrium 
manifests  ethically,  as  compensation,  and  mankind 
learns  this  truth  slowly,  as  the  history  of  the 
United  States  testifies. 

The  Pilgrim  Fathers  came  to  America  to  gain 
their  liberty.  An  unfriendly  climate  and  a  bar- 
ren soil  made  living  precarious  for  New  Eng- 
enders, and,  as  soon  as  was  possible,  they  turned 
to  trade.  It  was  not  long  before  some  of  them  be- 
came slave  hunters,  traders  and  importers. 

The  friendly  soil  and  climate  of  the  south  At- 
lantic States  developed  a  social,  intellectual  and 
leisure  class,  who  looked  to  mother  earth  for  sus- 
tenance and  wealth.  The  natures  of  the  South- 
erners, in  conjunction  with  the  nature  of  their 
soil,  produced  a  market  for  slaves.  The  existence 
of  the  economic  conditions.  North  and  South, 
again  created  slavery;  and  the  fratricidal  war 


MOSES  THE  MAGICIAN  99 

in  the  States  was  not  the  only  compensation  which 
the  nation  had  to  make  for  its  error — costly  as 
that  war  had  been.  The  manhood  and  woman- 
hood, of  the  South,  had  been  lowered  by  its 
** something  for  nothing"  policy,  and,  when 
thrown  upon  its  own  endeavors,  required  a  gen- 
eration to  revive.  The  foundation  of  the  corrup- 
tion of  American  political  life  was  laid  in  war 
time  and  in  the  decade  following.  Wealth  made, 
directly  and  indirectly,  through  slavery  and  its 
resultant  w:ar,  went  into  new  avenues  and  became 
the  foundation  of  an  industrial  slavery  as  vicious 
as  the  preceding  one  had  been. 

Greed  is  never  cured  by  gluttony,  but  by  starva- 
tion ;  and,  as  the  cure  has  never  yet  been  tried,  the 
fallacious  circle  still  repeats  itself.  But,  many 
wrongs  never  made  a  right,  and,  as  the  Atlantean 
civilization  was  destroyed  by  slavery,  so,  in  some 
manner,  must  perish  the  vaunted,  but  false,  civili- 
zation of  the  twentieth  century. 

But  it  is  not  only  nationally  and  internationally 
that  people  suffer  for  their  greed  and  sequential 
economic  errors,  but  the  Law  of  Compensation 
works  also  in  individual  cases.  The  occult  rec- 
ords show  that  in  almost  every  case,  negro  out- 
rages, so  common  in  former  years,  in  all  the 
States  of  the  Union,  were  not  alone  due  to  the 
animal  impulse  of  the  black  men,  but  were  also 
due  to  the  fact  that  the  violated  white  person,  in 
a  prior  life,  had  either  enslaved  the  offending 


100  FRAGMENTS  OF  TRUTH 

black  man — tearing  him  from  his  African  home 
and  family — or  had  inflicted  a  similar  cruelty 
upon  him  when  he  was  enslaved.  And  it  is  fur- 
ther known  to  Occultists,  that  many  of  the  men 
who  have  been  leaders  of  the  negroes  were, 
formerly,  white  men  who  were  compelled  to  in- 
carnate in  black  bodies  to  suffer  the  sorrows  of 
slavery,  which  they,  themselves,  had  instituted; 
and  to  help  the  colored  race  upward  in  its  evo- 
lution, as  compensation  for  former  wrongs  done 
to  it. 

Nor  must  it  be  forgotten  that  industrial  slavery 
is  but  another  phase  of  the  same  question,  and  that 
equitable  adjustment  is  made,  periodically,  by  the 
Law  of  Compensation  in  every  such  case — as  the 
former  history  of  France  and  the  more  recent 
history  of  Russia  and  of  Europe  so  eloquently 
testify. 

America  is  merely  cited  as  an  example  of  the 
compensation  which  follows  slavery,  because  the 
event  is  of  such  comparatively  recent  date:  but 
the  same  law  applied  to  all  people  and  nations, 
where  similar  conditions  existed,  as  was  anciently 
illustrated  in  the  case  of  the  Jews  and  the  At- 
lanteans. 

When  seventy  years  had  passed,  after  the  be- 
ginning of  their  exodus,  the  Atlanteans  arrived  at 
the  Red  Sea,  and  but  few  individuals,  who  started, 
ever  reached  the  ** Promised  Land.''  Moses  was 
among  those  who  failed  to  finish  the  journey,  but, 


MOSES  THE  MAOlCrAN  *"  '  '* '  101 " 

before  excarnating,  he  had  organized  a  strong 
army  and  had  established  a  permanent  priest- 
hood. He  had  also  formulated  laws  which  gov- 
erned the  Egyptians  until  the  wills  of  the  later 
Kings  superseded  them. 

At  the  end  of  their  journey,  the  Jews  were  not 
released;  but,  as  both  masters  and  slaves  in- 
creased in  numbers,  they  were  held  in  a  more 
restricted  slavery  and  their  burdens  became 
heavier  as  the  years  rolled  by.  Continuously  their 
prayers  for  freedom  ascended  to  the  Gods,  and 
then,  once  more,  the  wheel  of  rebirth  revolved  and 
brought  back,  into  earth  life,  the  original  partici- 
pants in  the  exodus  from  Atlantis— the  weaker 
egos  once  more  incarnated  in  Jewish  bodies,  the 
stronger  as  offspring  of  the  dominant  Egyptians. 

In  time  all  desires  are  fulfilled ;  but  Divine  Jus- 
tice, in  order  to  give  the  Jews  the  liberty  they 
craved,  had  to  raise  up  a  leader  for  the  new  exo- 
dus. As  Moses  had  enslaved  the  Jews,  he  was 
required,  by  the  Law  of  Compensation,  to  incar- 
nate as  the  son  of  a  Jewish  slave  to  make  restitu- 
tion, by  enfranchising  those  whom  he  had  wronged 
in  his  prior  incarnation.  His  education  at 
Pharaoh's  Court  revived  his  prior  knowledge  and 
power  and  his  old  ambition  for  leadership  again 
dominated  him.  He  had  all  the  latent  qualifica- 
tions and  the  experiences  to  enable  him  to  conduct 
a  second  exodus.  As  an  adopted^son  of  Pharaoh's 
daughter,  his  ambition  to  rule  could  not  be  grati- 


102  FRAGMENTS  OF  TRUTH 

fied  and  it  naturally  sought  expression  elsewhere. 
The  slave  blood,  within  him,  suggested  the  most 
logical  plan  and  he  set  himself  about  preparing 
for  his  new  mission,  since  a  long  and  careful  prep- 
aration was  necessary  for  so  great  an  under- 
taking. 

The  occidental  conception  of  a  genius  is  un- 
fortunate for  it  is  both  misleading  and  detrimen- 
tal. To  say  an  individual  has  uncommon  power 
of  intellect,  because  of  heredity,  or  a  gift  from 
God,  is  to  make  a  precocious,  but  vain  person, 
especially  a  child,  feel  that  he  has  been  endowed 
with  a  mental  aptitude  that  does  not  require 
self-effort  to  develop.  He  considers  his  ability 
a  **gift"  and,  possessing  what  he  has  not  earned, 
he  neglects  his  native  ability  and  acquires  the 
habit  of  craving  something  else  for  nothing. 

The  Occult  view  is  that  a  genius  is  a  person 
who  has  a  natural  aptitude  along  any  line  of 
study,  or  endeavor,  because  he  has  acquired  it, 
by  hard  work,  in  a  prior  incarnation;  that  God 
does  not  unjustly  shower  talents  on  one  person 
which  He,  unfairly,  denies  to  another — ^but  that 
all  ability  is  self-acquired  through  effort  in  some 
Ufe. 

No  effort  is  ever  lost,  and  the  plodder  of  today 
may,  with  confidence,  look  to  the  tomorrow  know- 
ing that  his  unfulfilled  ambitions  will  surely  be 
realized.  Moses  knew  this  occult  truth  and 
shaped  his  life  accordingly.     His   accomplish- 


MOSES  THE  MAGICIAN  103 

ments,  therefore,  were  many  and  consistent  and 
have  excited  the  admiration  of  the  world.  He 
was  pre-eminent  as  a  maker  and  a  codifier  of 
laws ;  and  while  it  is  true  that  they  were  formu- 
lated for  his  own  time  and  people,  yet,  by  reason 
of  their  excellence,  some  of  his  laws  are  as  appli- 
cable to  the  twentieth  century  as  they  were  to 
his  own  period.  And  this  is  true  because  many 
of  them  are  based  upon  ethical  principles  and, 
consequently,  cannot  die.  It  is  often  hard  to  dis- 
tinguish just  where  the  civic  regulations  cease 
and  the  moral  mandate  commences,  so  nicely 
blended  are  the  political  decrees  with  natural  law. 

During  their  years  of  slavery,  the  Jews  had 
been  largely  influenced  by  the  exoteric  religion  of 
their  masters;  and  had  lost — if  they  ever  pos- 
sessed— all  esotericism.  From  his  great  knowl- 
edge of  men  and  of  morals,  Moses  formulated  a 
religion,  for  his  followers,  which  was  adapted  to 
their  comprehension  and  yet,  was  infinitely  su- 
perior and  more  elevating  than  that  which  they 
possessed.  But,  to  the  priesthood  which  he 
established,  he  gave  his  knowledge  of  magic  and 
such  little  esotericism  as  he  knew — which,  in  later 
times,  became  the  basis  of  the  Cabala. 

As  an  organizer  and  builder  of  State,  Moses 
was  unsurpassed,  for  he  took  a  disorganized, 
hopeless  and  helpless  race  of  slaves  and  welded 
them  into  a  nation.  His  task  was  no  easy  one, 
because  the  Egyptians  looked  askance   at  him 


104  FRAGMENTS  OF  TRUTH 

for  his  activity  among  the  Jews;  and  his  own 
people  distrusted  him  because  of  his  aristocratic 
environment  and  friends.  He,  therefore,  left  the 
Court  and  proceeded  to  the  wilderness  where  he 
became  a  herdsman,  and,  in  the  long  hours  of  his 
watch,  he  practised  concentration,  perfected  his 
plans  and  made  himself  proficient  in  his  old  art 
of  magic. 

As  in  his  previous  life  he  had  awed  the  Jews 
through  his  magical  power,  he  determined  to  use 
it  again  to  dominate  them.  It  was  a  part  of 
both  kingcraft  and  priestcraft — which  he  had 
well  learned  in  more  than  one  life — to  claim 
vicegerency  under  Almighty  God,  in  order  to  re- 
ceive the  reverence  and  obedience  of  the  masses. 
And  so  he  adopted  this  simple  method  in  his 
work,  and,  because  of  his  ability  to  produce 
phenomena,  his  claim  was  easily  established. 
Whenever  he  saw  his  authority  waning,  he  re- 
sorted to  the  old  expedient  of  calling  upon  God, 
publicly,  to  reaffirm  the  divine  right  of  chosen 
leaders.  And  when  the  Jews  became  restless,  or 
rebellious,  Moses  threatened  them  with  the  anger 
of  Jehovah,  and  thus  ruled  them  through  their 
fears.  He  was  a  martinet,  with  his  own  people, 
and  a  despotic  conqueror  of  others. 

Through  his  influence  at  Court  and  his  magic, 
he  succeeded,  finally,  in  getting  the  second  exodus 
started,  but  the  Occult  records  do  not  coincide 
with  the  Biblical  ones  as  to  this  second  emigra- 


MOSES  THE  MAGICIAN  105 

tion.  The  Jewish  historians  drew  largely  upon 
their  imaginations  in  writing  their  anabasis; 
they  filched  the  legends  of  the  first  exodus  and 
attributed  them  to  the  second — just  as  they  ap- 
propriated and  mutilated  the  Chaldean  records  to 
form  their  Genesis. 

Moses,  himself,  deceived  his  people  about  many 
of  his  so-called  miraculous  experiences,  that  are 
reported  in  the  Bible  as  having  happened  to  him 
in  the  mountains  and  at  the  Court  of  Pharaoh; 
and  these  tales,  being  believed,  passed  as 
historical  facts.  There  was  no  question  about  his 
ability  as  a  leader,  an  organizer,  a  law-giver,  a 
nation  builder,  a  religion  maker  and  a  magician. 
Nor  was  there  any  doubt  about  his  defects  of 
character,  as  both  the  exoteric  and  esoteric  rec- 
ords disclose.  But  the  latter  reveal  the  fact  that 
when  Moses  left  his  followers,  on  their  journey, 
he  crept  away  and  died,  like  a  wounded  animal, 
alone  in  the  mountains,  leaving  the  younger 
priests  to  paint  his  transfiguration. 

As  a  further  study  in  the  Law  of  Compensation, 
the  second  exodus  is  fascinating  in  its  illumina- 
tion of  subsequent  history.  Moses  and  his  fol- 
lowers believed  that  they  were  the  chosen  people 
of  the  Almighty,  and  that  everything  upon  the 
earth  should  be  given  to  them — that  if  what  they 
desired  were  not  given,  then  it  should  be  taken. 
Acting  upon  this  aggressive  and  acquisitive  racial 
trait,  formulated  into   a   religious   belief,   they 


106  FRAGMENTS  OF  TRUTH 

commenced  with  despoiling  the  Egyptians  and 
continued  it  with  all  the  tribes  of  people  which 
they  contacted  throughout  their  itinerancy  from 
Egypt  to  Canaan,  and  under  their  Judges  and 
Kings. 

It  is  not  necessary  to  resort  to  occult  history  to 
confirm  these  facts,  as  the  Jewish  records  dis- 
close them.  They  also  narrate  the  facts  that  the 
Jews  contacted  many  tribes  and  nations  in  their 
journeyings,  who  were  barbarians  and  inferior 
in  every  way  to  themselves.  Many  of  these 
tribes,  the  Jews  wantonly  warred  upon  because  of 
the  difference  in  their  religious  belief.  Many 
entire  tribes  were  annihilated  without  cause, 
through  mere  blood  lust  and  greed.  Throughout 
the  greater  part  of  the  Arine  Age,  or  for  two 
thousand  years  before  Christ,  the  Jews  were  a 
dominant,  aggressive,  tyrannical,  political  power. 
During  the  Piscine  Age,  or  the  two  thousand  years 
since  the  time  of  Christ,  the  Jews  have  been  a 
race,  rather  than  a  nation,  a  despoiled  and  perse- 
cuted people  in  many  countries. 

To  most  thinking  people  it  is  not  an  adequate 
explanation  of  the  status  of  the  Jew,  during 
Christian  times,  to  attribute  it  to  the  alleged  cruci- 
fixion of  the  Nazarene  by  a  Jewish  mob  inflamed  by 
the  priests.  The  Occultist  would  say  that  the 
despoiling  of  the  Jews,  throughout  Europe,  was 
due  to  the  fact  that  the  ancient  Hebrews,  rein- 
ca:rnated,  had  again  met  with  those  egos  whom 


MOSES  THE  MAGICIAN  107 

they  despoiled  in  ancient  days  and  were  making 
unwilling  compensation  to  them.  And  that  the 
massacres  of  the  Jews  in  Russia,  in  recent  years, 
and  throughout  the  world  in  Christian(?)  times, 
were  done  by  the  same  egos,  again  incarnated, 
who  were  mercilessly  slaughtered  by  the  Jews 
during  the  rule  of  their  Judges  and  Kings. 

Thus  are  men  tied  together  by  their  thoughts 
and  acts,  and  it  is  not  merely  a  code  of  ethics 
but  a  truth  founded  on  natural  law,  which  the 
greatest  of  the  Jews  enunciated  when  he  said: 
**  Judge  not  that  ye  be  not  judged.  For  with 
what  judgment  ye  judge,  ye  shall  be  judged; 
and  with  what  measure  ye  mete,  it  shall  be 
measured  to  you  again." 


CHAPTER  SIX 

SOUL  SLAVERY 

In  the  first  Chapter  of  Genesis,  paragraph  twenty- 
sixth,  of  King  James'  version  of  the  Scriptures, 
it  says  : 

*^And  God  said:  Let  us  make  man  in  our  image 
and  after  our  likeness/'  In  the  twenty-seventh 
paragraph  of  the  same  Chapter,  is  written : 

**And  God  created  man  in  his  own  image.  In 
the  image  of  God  created  he  him. ' '  But  the  second 
Chapter,  the  seventh  paragraph,  gives  a  few  more 
details  concerning  man's  creation.    Here  it  says: 

'*And  the  Lord  God  formed  man  of  the  dust  of 
the  ground  and  breathed  into  his  nostrils  the 
breath  of  life  and  man  became  a  living  soul." 

These  disjointed  statements  in  Genesis  give  all 
the  information  the  Scripture  has  to  offer  con- 
cerning the  origin  of  man;  and,  to  the  thinker, 
it  is  most  unsatisfactory.  For  primitive  man, 
who  knew  nothing  and  cared  nothing  about  his 
parents,  or  possibilities,  this  Biblical  Mother 
Goose  story  may  have  been  satisfying;  but,  for 
man  of  the  present  age,  to  expect  him  to  accept,  as 
truth,  the  Biblical  description  of  his  origin  is  not 
only  impossible  but  is  ridiculous,  and  he  must  look 
elsewhere  for  the  knowledge  he  craves. 

108 


SOUL  SLAVERY  109 

In  the  year  1859  Darwin  presented  to  the  world 
his  theories  concerning  man's  origin,  which  spme 
thinkers  considered  plausible,  while  others  laughed 
at  them  as  absurdities.  And  it  is  humiliating  for 
a  self-respecting  man  to  be  made  to  believe  that 
he,  the  masterpiece  of  all  creation,  either  as- 
cended, or  descended,  from  an  ancestral  ape.  It 
must  have  been  with  internal  shivers,  that  Charles 
Robert  Darwin  stood  before  a  monkey  cage  in 
some  English  zoo  and  tried  to  recognize,  in  the 
chattering,  performing  creatures  before  him,  some 
of  his  own  characteristics.  And,  many  times,  he 
must  have  turned  away  sad  and  unsatisfied  before 
he,  himself,  finally  accepted,  as  truths,  his  own 
theories  concerning  the  unsolved  problem  of  his 
own  origin. 

The  Occultist  says,  the  description  given  in 
Genesis  of  man's  creation  is  symbolic,  should  not 
be  accepted  literally;  and  offers  a  somewhat  differ- 
ent explanation,  with  amplifications,  that  may  cast 
further  light  upon  the  Biblical  story,  and  also  upon 
the  Darwinian  theories.  The  Occultist  says  man's 
physical  body,  and  lower  mind,  were  produced 
from  the  earth,  in  as  much  as  the  animating  life 
principle  came  upward  through  the  mineral,  vege- 
table and  animal  forms.  That  it  was  not  created 
in  a  day,  as  the  Biblical  story  implies,  but  was 
ages  in  the  process  of  evolvement.  That  the 
*'God,"  spoken  of  in  the  first  Chapter  of  Genesis, 
is  the  Universal  Consciousness  who  made  the  plans 


110  FRAGMENTS  OF  TRUTH 

for  man's  creation;  and  the  '^Lord  Gods''  referred 
to  in  the  second  Chapter  of  Genesis,  were  the  in- 
dividualized, Creative  Gods  who  executed  God's 
plans.  The  Creative  Gods  obeyed  the  command  of 
God — Universal  Consciousness — in  preparing  the 
human-animal  bodies  for  higher,  subjective  minds 
to  use.  And  when  the  *^Lord  Gods,"  of  Genesis, 
^  *  breathed  into  the  nostrils, ' '  of  animal  man,  ^  *  the 
breath  of  life,"  he  ** became  a  living  soul,"  be- 
cause, in  accordance  with  the  wills  of  the  ''Lord 
Gods,"  the  higher,  subjective  minds  came  then  and 
incarnated  in  those  human-animal  bodies. 

The  subjective  minds,  like  the  Creative  Gods, 
were  ovoids  in  form  and  had  been  created  in  the 
image  and  likeness  of  their  Creators;  but  when 
they  took  possession  of  the  human-animal  forms 
they  assumed  the  shapes  of  those  forms,  as  jelly 
assumes  the  form  of  the  mould  into  which  it  is 
poured. 

Those  were  strange  experiences  into  which  the 
subjective  minds  were  forced,  by  the  Creative 
Gods,  and  were  as  different  from  what  they  had 
ever  before  known  as  night  is  different  from  day. 
To  put  those  infant,  subjective  minds  among  the 
lower  animals,  was  like  sending  helpless  children 
into  a  wilderness  infested  by  savages,  for  those 
infant  minds  were  innocent  and  ignorant,  and  met 
with  the  same  fate  that  ignorance  and  innocence 
always  meet,  when  they  come  into  contact  with 
grossness  and  brutality.    They  became  enslaved 


SOUL  SLAVERY  111 

by  those  whom  they  came  to  help,  and  it  was  then 
that  Soul  Slavery  began  upon  this  earth,  when 
animal  minds  enslaved  subjective  minds  and  made 
them  subservient  to  their  wills.  And,  as  those 
subjective  minds,  or  Sons  of  God,  sank  deeper  into 
the  material  experiences  of  earth  life,  with  their 
animal  bodies  and  animal  minds,  they  gradually 
forgot  their  divine  origin,  and  their  former  states 
of  happiness,  and,  like  the  animals  they  had 
espoused,  they  also  became  controlled  by  the 
throbbing,  burning  emotions  with  which  the  ani- 
mal minds  were  filled. 

But,  in  the  heart  of  every  Son  of  God,  was  left  a 
longing  for  better  conditions.  Vaguely,  at  times, 
he  seemed  to  realize  that  there  was  something  he 
had  lost  and  wondered  what  it  was.  Sometimes 
he  could  almost  remember  something  of  a  former 
state,  when  harmony  had  prevailed  with  him ;  and 
then,  storms  of  emotions  swept  over  him  and 
again  he  forgot,  yielded  to  his  animal  desires  and 
sank  lower  into  the  selfish  gratification  of  them. 

After  a  time  it  was  only  on  rare  occasions  that 
man  yielded  to  a  reminiscent  mood,  that  seemed 
to  take  him  back  in  sub-conscious  memory  to  other 
days  of  peace.  Usually  it  was  after  a  tragedy; 
and,  while  suffering  from  the  reaction  following 
it,  or,  in  the  stillness  of  a  night  when  he  was  alone 
with  that  strange,  weird  something  he  could  not 
see  but  sometimes  could  feel,  he  turned  his 
thoughts  backward  and  tried  to  remember  what 


112  FRAGMENTS  OF  TRUTH 

it  was,  that  he  once  had,  that  had  now  departed. 
And,  after  many  reminiscences  and  disappoint- 
ments the  thought  came  that  it  was  happiness  he 
had  lost,  and  it  was  happiness  he  must  find  again. 
And  when  the  subjective  minds,  or  Sons  of  God, 
had  finally  reached  the  bottom  of  the  pit  of  phys- 
ical and  mental  misery,  into  which  they  sank  after 
becoming  enslaved  by  their  animal  minds,  they 
began  to  struggle  upward  dragging  those  animal 
minds  with  them,  and  with,  seemingly,  nothing  but 
hope  to  help  them  on. 

That  the  desire  is  strongly  implanted  in  the 
human-animal  soul  to  know  something  about  it- 
self, is  shown  by  almost  the  first  questions  a  child 
asks  when  it  begins  to  think  and  to  speak  coher- 
ently. It  looks  earnestly  and  inquiringly  into  the 
face  of  its  nurse  and  asks:  *^ Where  did  I  come 
from,  and  how  did  I  come  here?" 

It  is  the  cry  of  the  soul  trying  to  remember  its 
origin;  and,  as  the  child  grows  to  maturity,  that 
same  question,  many  times  unsatisfactorily  an- 
swered, burns  in  its  heart  and  springs  to  its  lips. 
And  it  is  really  nothing  but  ignorance,  concerning 
his  origin,  that  has  caused  man's  submission  to 
the  bondage,  either  mental  or  physical,  that  has 
chained  him  to  a  limiting  environment. 

To  most  persons,  the  word  slavery  brings  only 
the  mental  picture  of  men  and  women  who  are 
giving,  to  other  individuals,  the  services  of  their 
physical  bodies  without  remuneration.    This  is  but 


SOUL  SLAVERY  113 

one,  and  the  lightest,  of  all  forms  of  slavery ;  since, 
sometimes,  the  soul  of  one,  whose  body  is  in 
bondage,  is  free  to  gain  the  spiritual  happiness 
that  all  evolving  souls  earnestly  crave. 

Could  all  industrial  slaves  but  realize  that  they 
are  Sons  of  God  and  have  the  right  and  innate 
power  to  become  the  equals  intellectually,  finan- 
cially and  spiritually  of  any  other  Son  of  God, 
slavery  would  soon  be  ended,  and  there  would 
come  a  pleasanter  relationship  between  the  classes 
and  the  masses.  It  is  the  animal  nature,  prepon- 
derating in  man,  that  makes  him  feel  contempt  for 
anything  that  cringes  in  fear  before  him,  or  sub- 
mits tremblingly  to  his  unreasonable  demands. 
And  it  is  the  animal  nature  in  the  trembling  slave 
that  makes  him  hate  and  wish  to  kill  the  man  who 
despises  and  enslaves  him.  But  the  recognition  of 
the  Sons  of  God,  by  each  other,  and  the  willingness 
of  each  to  give  to  every  other  Son  of  God  his 
divine  and  human  rights,  without  question,  or  de- 
lay, would  not  alone  end  industrial  slavery,  but 
would  build  a  commonwealth  that  would  take  man 
forever  out  of  these  unhappy,  economic  conditions 
and  give  to  him  the  freedom  and  happiness  he 
craves. 

But  there  are  aspects  of  slavery  other  than  that 
of  economic  bondage.  There  is  slavery  that  binds 
the  souls  as  well  as  the  bodies  of  men  and  pre- 
vents them  from  evolving.  And  many  of  these 
aspects  are  so  subtile,  and  yet  so  strong,  that  they 


114  FRAGMENTS  OF  TRUTH 

are  submitted  to  with  pathetic  muteness  by  the 
enslaved — who  sometimes  does  not  know  that  he 
is  bound.  It  is  sometimes  the  man  who  fears  the 
criticism  or  ridicule  of  his  friends.  He  would  like 
to  have  a  rose-covered  cottage  in  the  suburbs  and 
take  the  time  to  read  the  books  he  likes.  He  thinks 
of  how  pleasant  it  would  be  to  have  a  home  with 
three  servants,  instead  of  twelve,  and  to  spend 
some  of  his  evenings  alone  with  his  family;  but 
he  fears  to  make  the  change  lest  his  social  position 
be  jeopardized,  and  his  business  associates  think 
him  financially  embarrassed.  So,  he  continues  to 
keep  his  town  house  and  sends  his  wife  away  for  a 
portion  of  each  year.  He  is  tired  and  sick  of 
fashionable  dinners  and  late  hours  at  the  club  and 
cards  and  wine.  He  longs  to  be  free  from  them 
all,  but  is  so  enslaved  by  the  fear  of  public  opinion, 
that  he  continues  his  mad  rush  for  money,  to  keep 
up  with  his  enormous  expenses,  and  to  go  the  pace 
with  other  men — who,  perhaps,  are  as  tired  of  him 
as  he  is  of  them.  He  becomes  irritable,  pessi- 
mistic and  cynical;  is  never  satisfied,  is  most  un- 
happy and  thinks  he  would  gladly  exchange  places 
witln  the  janitor  of  his  office  building,  whom  he  be- 
lieves has  not  a  care  in  the  world.  But  he  is  mis- 
taken. The  janitor  is  also  a  slave — ^not  to  public 
opinion,  because  the  public  does  not  know  that  he 
exists — but  to  his  habits. 

He  cannot  begin  his  day's  work  until  he  has  had 
his  coffee  and  his  pipe.   When  he  wakes  and  rises 


SOUL  SLAVERY  115 

from  his  bed,  his  head  aches  and  he  is  miserably 
ill.  His  face  is  deadly  white  and  his  nerves  are 
jerky  and  uncontrolled.  And  if  his  coffee  is  de- 
layed, or  not  just  right  when  served,  he  becomes 
furious  and  behaves  like  an  enraged  animal.  He, 
a  Son  of  God,  is  completely  submerged  in  his 
animal  nature  and  growls  like  a  beast,  enslaved 
by  the  desires  of  his  body  and  animal  mind.  But, 
after  he  has  had  his  coffee  and  a  smoke,  he  calmly 
leans  back  in  his  chair  and  thanks  the  Lord  that 
he  is  not  the  slave  to  habit  that  his  next-door 
neighbor  is,  who  cannot  get  his  whisky,  since 
prohibition  has  been  enforced,  and  is  half  mad 
with  desire  for  alcoholic  drinks. 

The  spiritual  happiness  of  that  Son  of  God  is 
dancing  so  far  ahead  of  him  there  is  very  little 
possibility  of  his  catching  up  with  it  in  this  life, 
unless,  through  some  tremendous  awakening  to  his 
actual  enslaved  condition,  the  God  part  of  him 
should  rise,  assert  its  power  over  its  animal  nature 
and  refuse  to  be  longer  enslaved. 

There  are  persons  who  are  enslaved  by  mistaken 
ideas  of  duty.  For  example :  There  is  the  devoted 
mother  who  faithfully  and  cheerfully  waits  upon 
and  gratifies  the  whims  of  her  pretty  daughter. 
Because  that  mother  gave  birth  to  the  beautiful 
body  of  that  Daughter  of  God  and  gave  her  an 
opportunity  to  incarnate  in  this  world,  and  to  con- 
tinue with  her  evolvement  here,  that  mother  feels 
absolute  responsibility  for  the  comfort  and  pleas- 


116  FRAGMENTS  OF.  TRUTH 

ure  of  her  child.  Because  she  is  not  able  to  keep 
a  maid  to  serve  her  daughter,  so  she  may  have 
nothing  to  do,  the  mother  takes  that  menial  posi- 
tion herself.  She  denies  herself  matinees  and 
operas  that  her  daughter  may  have  more  matinees 
and  more  operas.  She  wears  old  clothes  that 
daughter  may  have  new  ones. 

The  daughter's  selfish  animal  nature  takes 
everything  her  enslaved  mother  has  to  give,  de- 
mands more  and  storms  because  she  cannot  get 
what  she  wants ;  and  both  of  those  Daughters  of 
God  are  hindered  in  their  evolvement  and  their 
attainment  of  spiritual  happiness,  because  of  the 
mother's  enslavement  to  a  false  sense  of  duty 
toward  her  child. 

It  is  only  about  one  hundred  and  forty  years 
since  the  signers  of  the  Declaration  of  Independ- 
ence wrote  that  all  men  had  the  inalienable  right 
to  live,  to  be  free  and  to  engage  in  the  pursuit  of 
happiness.  The  fact  that  those  Sons  of  God  placed 
freedom,  from  governmental  tyranny,  before  the 
possibility  of  any  man's  engaging  in  the  pursuit 
of  happiness,  showed  that  even  they  had  a  glimmer 
of  the  great  truth  that  freedom  from  slavery  must 
come  before  even  a  civic  or  a  national  happiness 
can  be  gained. 

When  the  slavery  of  the  black  men,  in  the  South, 
was  abolished  some  persons  believed  that  all  slav- 
ery in  the  United  States  was  ended ;  but  they  were 
mistaken,  for  a  slavery,  greater  and  more  cruel 


SOUL  SLAVERY  117 

than  anything  suffered  by  the  black  men,  has  been 
for  years,  and  is  now,  in  existence  in  every  large 
city  in  this  country. 

There  are  animal  men  and  women  who  still 
traffic  with  the  bodies  of  ignorant  girls  and 
women;  who  gain  possession  of  them,  sometimes 
by  deception  and  sometimes  by  physical  force,  and 
then  degrade  them  to  a  state  of  debasement  that 
ruins  their  souls  as  well  as  their  bodies.  For,  in 
many  instances,  the  white  slaves  sink  to  such 
states  of  depravity  that  they  never  can  find  their 
way  back  to  happiness.  And  sometimes  they  fall 
so  low  that  the  subjective  mind  gives  up  the  battle 
and  leaves  its  animal  mind  and  human-animal  body 
to  continue  on  to  ultimate  destruction. 

Then  there  are  persons  enslaved  by  their  belief 
in  disease  and  their  fear  of  death.  And  those 
Sons  and  Daughters  of  God  become  so  helpless 
through  their  slavish  fears  that  sometimes  they 
dare  not  leave  the  hospital  or  sanitarium  presided 
over  by  their  adored  physician  or  surgeon,  lest 
they  lose  their  lives  in  consequence. 

And  many  unscrupulous,  animal-minded  physi- 
cians take  advantage  of  those  helpless,  hopeless, 
spineless  creatures  and  create  a  life-long  bondage 
for  them  by  giving  a  false  diagnosis  of  their  con- 
ditions. Sometimes  such  diagnoses  are  given  ig- 
norantly  and  sometimes  wilfully,  with  the  inten- 
tion of  keeping  their  patients  contributing  to  their 
physician's  financial  needs.     But  whether  igno- 


118  FEAGMENTS  OF.  TRUTH 

rantly  or  wilfully  done  the  results  are  tlie  same 
and  the  sufferers  are  enslaved. 

It  is  a  large-minded,  progressive  man  who  stops 
a  portion  of  his  own  income  by  telling  the  truth  to 
a  fear  enslaved  patient,  when  he  knows  that  pa- 
tient is  willing  to  give  him  anything  he  asks,  if  he 
will  but  keep  him  for  a  few  more  years  on  this 
side  of  the  Divide,  that  lies  between  him  and  the 
Great  Unknown.  But  sometimes  a  man  does  stand 
forth,  from  among  his  medical  colleagues,  who  will 
not  use  his  influence  to  enslave  his  patients.  Such 
a  man  is  a  Son  of  God  who  has  conquered  his  own 
animal  nature  and  has  made  it  subservient  to  his 
will.  There  are  not  many  of  these  men  but  there 
are  a  few. 

Then  there  are  souls  who  are  enslaved  by  their 
religious  beliefs.  Because  they  have  been  told 
that  their  only  hope  for  peace  and  happiness  here- 
after is  through  the  Church  and  the  efforts  of 
the  priests,  they  become  the  slaves  of  Churchianity 
and  sometimes  contribute  everything  they  can 
live  without,  to  the  Church.  They  spend  all  their 
time  preparing  for  death  and  go  through  life  un- 
conscious of  the  happiness  to  be  had  here— for 
the  taking.  They  fear  God,  the  Devil  and  Death 
and  suffer  the  agonies  of  a  mental  Hell,  on  earth, 
while  trying  to  escape  a  subjective  Hell  hereafter. 
And  since  it  is  an  immutable  law  that  what  one 
thinks  most  about,  one  draws  to  oneself,  in  abund- 
ance, those  Sons  of  God  who  think  of  nothing  but 


SOUL  SLAVERY  119 

death  and  Hell,  will  be  a  long  time  coming  into 
spiritual  happiness,  unless  they  change  their  mode 
of  thinking. 

And  after  all  the  varied  and  varying  ex- 
periences ;  and  after  all  the  suffering  and  striving 
of  souls,  through  the  different  states  of  conscious- 
ness, the  question  sometimes  arises : 

**What  does  a  soul  actually  receive  at  the  end 
of  its  evolutionary  journey — if  there  is  an  end — 
to  compensate  it  for  all  its  efforts  and  the  pain 
that  came  through  its  evolvement?" 

The  Occultist  says:  There  are  no  rewards  of 
merit  from  God,  or  Gods ;  but  there  are  results,  to 
be  gained,  and  the  greatest  of  these  is  spiritual 
happiness  which  comes  to  the  soul  who  has  broken 
its  last  limiting  fetter  of  ignorance,  and  is  no 
longer  enslaved  by  thoughts,  or  things. 

That  the  mother  of  spiritual  happiness  is  Om- 
niscience and  its  father  is  Omnipotence.  It  is 
from  the  union  of  these  two  aspects  of  the  finest 
essences  of  the  Great  Universal  Consciousness, 
manifesting  in  the  individual  soul,  that  spiritual 
happiness  is  bom.  That  with  the  birth  of  this 
kind  of  happiness  comes  absolute  freedom  from 
all  limitations;  and  the  glorified  soul  who  pos- 
sesses it,  is  no  longer  confined  to  one,  or  to  many 
worlds,  but  its  home  is  the  Universe  and  its  com- 
panions are  the  Gods. 


CHAPTER  SEVEN 

STRAY  LEAVES  OP  OCCULT  HISTORY 

It  is  extremely  difficult,  if  not  impossible,  for  an 
uninitiated  person  to  know  the  facts  about  tbe 
Occult  movement;  and  the  word  '* uninitiated, *'  is 
used  in  its  mystical  sense,  meaning  one  who  has 
not  had  conferred  upon  him  the  rite  of  initiation — 
one  who  has  not  received  the  more  exalted,  eso- 
teric teachings,  and  who  has  not  gained  access  to 
Occult  records. 

Most  of  the  history  of  Occultism  has  been 
written  by  uninitiated  persons,  secretly  or  ad- 
mittedly antagonistic  to  esotericism ;  and,  there- 
fore, the  world  has  received  a  wrong  impression 
concerning  it  and  holds  a  wrong  conception  of  the 
Occultists  who  have  presented  the  philosophy  to 
the  public,  at  intervals,  during  the  Piscine  Age, 
now  rapidly  drawing  to  a  close. 

Such  histories  and  biographies,  as  are  extant, 
are  mainly  interesting  as  showing  the  persistency 
of  Occult  thought.;  for  there  never  has  been  a  time 
when  there  were  not  competent  teachers,  of  Oc- 
cultism, to  instruct  the  people  of  each  age,  ac- 
cording to  their  capacity  to  receive  esoteric 
truths.    The  teachings  have  often  become  creed- 

120 


OCCULT  HISTORY  121 

encumbered,  or  perverted,  by  means  of  misconcep- 
tion ;  but,  even  in  their  garbled  forms,  lies  bidden 
the  key  to  freedom. 

In  this  Chapter  will  be  given  a  few  stray  leaves 
of  Occult  history  in  the  Occident,  during  the 
Christian  period,  so  connected  as  to  form  a  thumb 
nail,  but  accurate,  sketch  of  the  subject. 

As  man  has  a  certain  definite  length  of  life — 
though  some  men  may  fall  below,  or  exceed,  the 
average — so  do  nations  have  their  cycles  of  in- 
carnation. It  may  be  stated,  as  a  general  law,  that 
each  leading  nation  is  born,  matures,  grows  old 
and  dies  within  the  time  it  takes  the  sun,  through 
the  precession  of  the  equinoxes,  to  pass  through 
one  sign  of  the  Zodiac — or  a  little  more  than  two 
thousand  years. 

It  is  also  a  noticeable,  historical  fact  that  the 
life  of  a  nation  is  coincident  with  its  dominant 
religion;  for  ''the  letter  killeth,  but  the  spirit 
giveth  life,''  to  men  and  nations. 

About  the  year  A.D.  1,  or  the  end  of  the  Arine 
Age,  the  entire  religious  and  political  life  of  the 
Western  World  was  changing.  Eome  had  been 
successful  in  campaign  after  campaign  and  had  be- 
come the  dominant  power  of  the  world.  In  the 
realm  of  religion,  the  old  philosophies  were  break- 
ing down.  The  Greek  Gods  were  dead,  or  re- 
incarnated into  Roman  Deities.  Jupiter  was,  as  a 
matter  of  form,  supreme,  but  played  as  unimpor- 
tant a  part  in  the  love  and  lives  of  the  people 


122  FRAGMENTS  OF  TRUTH 

then  as  Jehovah  does  today.  Even  in  the  slow 
and  tenacious  Orient,  Brahminism  was  yielding  to 
the  propaganda  of  Buddhism.  In  Palestine,  nu- 
merous attempts  had  been  made,  unsuccessfully,  to 
revitalize  the  Jewish  religion  and  to  break  the 
hold  of  priestcraft  on  the  people. 

Formalism  and  dogmatism  had  superseded  mys- 
ticism, throughout  the  Occident,  except  in  Ephesus 
where  spirituality  was  kept  alive  in  the  temple  of 
Artemis ;  and  in  Eleusis  where  truths  were  taught 
the  elect  in  the  Mysteries. 

In  Judea  the  Essenes  had  also  preserved  eso- 
tericism  for  the  world.  That  sect  was,  by  practice, 
ascetic  and  required  a  strict  conformity  to  its 
rigid  rules  before  it  accepted  any  one  as  a  pro- 
bationer. 

According  to  the  Occult  records  and  to  the  tra- 
ditions of  Christianity,  Joseph  and  Mary  belonged 
to  this  sect  and  Jesus,  Himself,  in  early  youth, 
became  a  neophyte  in  the  order  of  the  Essenes. 
As  all  Occultists  had  done  prior  to  His  time  and 
as  so  many  have  done  since,  Jesus  taught  both 
exoterically  and  esoterically :  exoterically  to  the 
masses  whom  He  instructed  in  parables  and  in 
symbols,  those  being  comprehensible  to  their  in- 
telligence ;  esoterically  to  those  who  had  developed 
further  in  their  evolution  and  were  capable  of  re- 
ceiving higher  truths.  His  mission  was,  primarily, 
the  reformation  of  the  Jews ;  to  tear  from 
Judaism  all  the  encumbering  thoughts  that  had 


OCCULT  HISTORY  123 

gathered  around  it  since  the  preceding  prophet 
had  attempted  to  revive  spirituality. 

Jesus  knew,  as  did  all  the  esotericists  of  His 
time,  that  Rome  would  continue  to  be  the  dominant 
nation  of  the  world  for  a  while,  and  that  a  great 
truth  accepted  there,  would  react  upon  the  Roman 
nation  and,  through  it,  reach  the  entire  Occident. 
And  so  He  took  upon  Himself  the  mission  of  bring- 
ing to  the  Western  World  a  knowledge  of  the  an- 
cient truths.  After  He  had  performed  His  mission 
and  had  retired  to  an  Occultists'  retreat,  His 
brother  James  became  the  visible  head  of  the 
movement. 

James,  and  some  of  Jesus'  disciples,  remained 
in  Jerusalem  and  directed  a  propaganda  from 
there  until  James  was  killed,  at  the  instance  of  the 
Jewish  priesthood,  and  most  of  the  disciples  and 
their  associates  suffered  the  usual  fate  of  pioneers. 

Peter  left  Jerusalem  and  went  immediately  to 
Rome  to  carry  on  the  work,  believing  that  once  the 
esotericism  of  Jesus  was  established,  in  Rome,  it 
would  necessarily  spread  to  every  part  of  the 
world,  and  there  he  took  up  his  mission.  He 
formed  a  strong  Church ;  strong,  numerically,  con- 
sidering the  radical  departure  from  the  Roman 
beliefs  of  the  time ;  and  he  paid,  with  his  life,  for 
the  effort  he  made  in  behalf  of  Christianity. 

The  Roman  Church  that  Peter  established  was 
rather  Essenean,  in  character,  being  largely  based 
upon  the  tenets  of  that  order.   The  movement  was 


124  FRAGMENTS  OF  TRUTH 

opposed  by  the  political  powers  of  Rome  who 
stood  behind  the  temples  of  the  ancient  gods ;  and 
the  early  Christian  Occultists  found  it  necessary 
to  meet  in  secret  in  the  catacombs.  The  teachings 
of  the  young  Church  were  philosophic  and  ethical, 
rather  than  concerning  the  power  which  comes 
from  a  knowledge  of  philosophy.  The  appeal  was 
made  more  particularly  to  the  lower  classes  of 
Rome,  because  Peter  was  under  the  impression 
that  the  stronger  egos  were  incarnated  in  them. 
In  each  period  of  history  groups  of  egos  incar- 
nate in  different  strata  of  society,  according  to 
the  karma  made  in  their  past  lives.  Jesus  did 
not  seek  the  patricians  of  Judea,  but  appealed  to 
the  humble  people  because,  at  that  time,  the  more 
progressive  egos,  in  that  part  of  the  world,  were 
incarnating  in  that  class.  The  same  was  not  true 
in  Rome,  and  therein  lay  Peter's  tactical  mis- 
take. 

John  the  Evangelist,  after  leaving  Jerusalem, 
went  into  Asia  Minor  and  there  found  a  receptive 
soil.  He  was  able  to  teach  more  esotericism  than 
had  the  other  disciples  because,  for  a  long  time, 
the  oriental  mind  had  been  contemplative, 
thoughtful  and  receptive  to  higher  truths.  The 
people  in  Asia  Minor  were  natural  mystics  and 
John  made  many  converts  in  that  country. 
Finally,  he  deemed  it  expedient  to  establish,  ac- 
cording to  the  ancient  usages  of  that  country,  a 
secret  Order  rather  than  a  public  Church,  leaving 


OCCULT  HISTORY  125 

the  members  of  the  Order  to  teach  the  masses  as 
they  went  about  as  itinerant  preachers. 

The  real  growth  of  Christianity  in  the  Occident 
commenced  with  the  conversion  of  Paul  who  saw 
the  emotional  side  of  it.  He  did  not  grasp  the 
esoteric  side  of  the  movement  but  was  a  great 
evangelist.  He  was  finally  called  back  to  Jeru- 
salem and  was  shown  that  he  had  not  an  insight 
into  the  true  mysteries,  as  had  been  taught  by 
the  Nazarene  Occultist,  and  was  sent  to  Ephesus 
for  the  purpose  of  studying  them.  Ephesus  had 
been  the  headquarters  for  Occultism  for  many 
years,  prior  to  the  Christian  era,  and  it  was  the 
last  place  where  esotericism  stood  against  the 
exotericism  of  Christianity.  Paul  was  required  to 
remain  in  Ephesus  for  three  years  to  complete  his 
studies  of  real  Christianity. 

The  priests  of  the  temple  of  Artemis — ^mis- 
takenly identified  with  the  Italian  Diana — ^were  all 
initiates.  They  were  miracle  workers  and  were 
custodians  of  the  mysteries  until  the  sixth  cen- 
tury of  this  era;  and  from  all  over  the  world, 
students  who  desire  a  greater  and  a  truer  know- 
ledge, went  to  Ephesus  for  the  purpose  of  en- 
lightenment. Three  times  was  the  great  temple 
destroyed  and  three  times  reared  again,  and  within 
those  sacred  walls  were  taught  liberating  truths. 
The  temple  influence  was  felt  by  all  the  inhabitants 
of  the  city;  and  in  time  supplemental  schools  of 
philosophy  were  established  there. 


126  FEAGMENTS  OF  TRUTH 

The  most  prominent  of  these  schools — from  the 
first  to  the  third  centuries — was  that  founded  hy 
ApoUonius  of  Tyana.  He  was  an  initiate  in  the 
same  Brotherhood  as  Jesus,  and  when  the  latter 
commenced  His  teachings,  ApoUonius  assisted  by 
going  from  place  to  place  preparing  the  people 
to  receive  the  new  truths.  He,  too,  was  a  wonder 
worker  and  duplicated  most  of  the  miracles  done 
by  Jesus.  After  he  had  thus  assisted  the  Christian 
movement,  he  went  to  Ephesus  and  established  an 
esoteric  school.  And  it  was  to  this  school  that 
Paul  was  sent  for  the  purpose  of  learning  some- 
thing about  the  soul  of  the  religion  he  advocated. 
But  he  was  not  an  apt  scholar  and  made  but 
little  progress  in  Occultism,  which  was  a  most  un- 
fortunate thing  for  Christianity,  as  it  was  con- 
verted into  Paulism — a  crude  mythology  very  far 
removed  from  the  teachings  of  the  Nazarene. 

"With  the  fall  of  Jerusalem  in  the  year  A.D.  70, 
the  Christian  Church  there  was  disrupted  and  its 
members  scattered  broadcast.  But  it  had  done 
good  work  and  many  souls  were  considerably  ad- 
vanced in  their  evolution  by  reason  of  its  brief 
existence.  Among  the  initiates  of  the  early 
Church  was  one  Simeon-ben-Jochai,  who  lived 
early  in  the  second  century.  After  reaching  en- 
lightenment, he  determined  to  attempt  the  work 
in  which  his  Master  had  been  unsuccessful,  and 
rejoined  the  Jewish  Church  with  the  hope  of  re- 
forming it.    His  efforts  were  practically  effective. 


OCCULT  HISTORY  127 

for  he  wrote  the  mystic  dissertation  which  was 
the  basis  for  the  Zohar,  and  this  preserved  eso- 
tericism  for  almost  a  thousand  years — ^to  all 
within  that  Church  who  were  capable  of  compre- 
hending it. 

Moses-ben-Levi  in  the  thirteenth  century, 
amplified  the  teachings  of  his  master,  Simeon- 
ben-Jochai,  and  thus  expanded  the  work  and  ex- 
tended its  influence  for  several  more  centuries — 
for,  during  the  Middle  Ages,  there  were  quite  a 
number  of  true  Mystics  with  the  Jewish  Church. 
The  teachings  of  both  the  Rabbis,  referred  to, 
were  largely  confined  to  the  philosophy  of  mysti- 
cism and  did  but  little  more  than  touch  upon  the 
force  aspect  of  the  subject. 

After  Antioch  ceased  to  be  the  literary  and  in- 
tellectual center  of  the  world,  that  pre-eminence 
passed  to  Alexandria,  and  the  Christian  Occultists 
were  naturally  attracted  there,  as  were  the  repre- 
sentatives of  all  other  schools  of  philosophy. 

John,  the  Evangelist,  was,  perhaps,  the  greatest 
of  the  early  Christian  Occultists  in  Alexandria. 
His  teachings  were  subsequently  embodied  in  the 
Fourth  Gospel — the  only  *' orthodox"  mysticism 
left  to  Christianity,  except  a  few  obscure  passages 
in  the  other  three  gospels. 

It  was  comparatively  easy  for  the  Alexandrian 
Christians,  in  the  first  century,  to  harmonize 
their  philosophy  with  the  Platonic  and  Gnostic 
Schools  which  exercised  great  influence  at  the 


128  FRAGMENTS  OF  TRUTH 

time — for  the  basic  principles  of  the  three  schools 
were  identical.  But  in  the  second  centnry,  dogma 
began  to  creep  into  Eastern  Christianity,  and 
gradually  to  crowd  out  reason  and  esotericism. 
So  marked  did  this  innovation  become  that  Valen- 
tinus,  about  A.D.  160,  felt  it  necessary  to  resign 
from  the  formal  Christian  movement  in  order  to 
preserve  the  esotericism  of  the  Master;  and  he 
established  a  school  of  Christian  Occultism. 

Valentinus  was  one  of  the  Uluminati  of  the 
early  Christian  movement  and  without  his  aid,  the 
Church  found  it  difficult  to  make  converts,  or  suc- 
cessfully to  contend  against  the  other  philosophic 
schools;  therefore,  it  yielded  temporarily  to  his 
greater  wisdom  and  suppressed  dogma  to  induce 
him  to  return  to  the  Church. 

But,  ignorance,  like  a  noxious  weed,  grows  fast 
and  no  sooner  was  Valentinus  safely  within  the 
fold  of  the  Church,  than  dogma  again  asserted 
itself  and  once  more  he  was  compelled  to  with- 
draw from  the  movement.  Then  the  same  con- 
cessions were  made  to  him  as  before  and  again  he 
took  charge  of  the  organization.  But,  finding  it 
impossible  to  work  with  the  cruder  and  more 
materialistic  minds,  who  were  being  attracted  to 
Christianity,  Valentinus,  for  the  third  and  final 
time,  abandoned  the  association. 

The  Christian  Church  was  fast  losing  ground 
because  the  doctrinal  factions  that  had  been  within 
it  from  the  beginning  were  increasing  enormously ; 


OCCULT  HISTORY  129 

and  so  to  unify  the  Church  Basilides,  in  the  second 
century,  attempted  to  give  to  the  world  the  oc- 
cultism of  Jesus.  Basilides  was  a  disciple  of 
Matthew  and  later  a  student  under  Glaucus,  who 
was  Peter's  esoteric  pupil,  and  from  these  two 
sources  he  was  able  to  gather  all  the  private  teach- 
ings which  the  great  Master  had  given  collectively 
to  His  disciples. 

In  order  that  there  should  not,  in  the  future, 
be  further  contention,  as  to  the  exact  teachings  of 
Jesus,  Basilides  wrote  twenty-four  volumes  of 
* ^ Interpretation  of  the  Gospels."  These  were  the 
most  authentic,  extant  teachings  of  the  Nazarene 
and  helped  to  unify  the  Church  for  a  time,  though 
the  growing  mythology  of  Christianity  was  con- 
stantly attracting  the  minds  of  the  masses  and  re- 
pelling those  of  the  mystics. 

Unfortunately  for  the  Christian  Church  and  for 
the  world,  about  A.D.  264-340,  Eusebius  of 
Csesarea,  a  leading  politician  and  bishop  in  the 
Church,  wrote  an  untruthful  **  Ecclesiastical  His- 
tory," from  a  dogmatic  and  exoteric  standpoint. 
By  reason  of  his  influence  with  Constantine  and 
his  political  hold  upon  the  Church — which,  by  that 
time,  had  become  as  much  a  political  as  a  religious 
organization — Eusebius  succeeded  in  having  de- 
stroyed most  of  the  books  which  did  not  agree  with 
his  inaccurate  productions.  Under  this  ban  the 
works  of  Basilides  were  destroyed  and  only  here 
and  there  are  found  a  few  scattered  leaves. 


130  FRAGMENTS  OF  TRUTH 

In  the  latter  portion  of  the  second  century, 
Animonius  Saccas  attempted  to  bring  back  to  the 
Cburcli  the  esotericism  of  Jesus,  and  failing  in 
that,  he  left  the  organization  and  founded  the  Neo- 
Platonic  School  of  Philaletheians,  or  '*  lovers  of 
truth."  He  was  known  as  Theodidakatos,  the 
** God-taught,"  and  was  an  initiate  in  Occultism. 
As  an  organization,  his  school  only  lasted  about 
one  hundred  years  but  his  teachings  and  his  in- 
fluence have  persisted  throughout  the  centuries 
of  Piscine  darkness  even  unto  the  present 
day. 

Origen  was,  perhaps,  the  most  noted  of  the 
ancient  pupils  of  Saccas.  He  went  into  the  Chris- 
tian Church,  as  so  many  Occultists  have  done  prior 
to  and  since  his  time,  to  see  if  it  could  not  be 
stripped  of  its  dogma  and  once  more  be  vitalized 
by  truth.  He  became  a  prominent  writer  and 
teacher  and  one  of  the  *^ Fathers"  of  the  organ- 
ization. But  the  glamor  and  the  fables  of  the 
Church  appealed  to  the  members  more  than  the 
truth  did,  and  his  work  was  only  partially  suc- 
cessful. Because  of  his  knowledge  of  esotericism, 
he  was  able  to  contend  successfully  against  the 
other  philosophic  schools  of  Alexandria,  and  his 
work  and  words  were  reflected  into  the  Western 
Church  and  began  to  attract  the  more  intellectual 
portion  of  Rome,  who,  until  that  time,  had  held 
aloof  from  the  movement.  But,  great  as  his  in- 
fluence was,  that  of  ignorance  was  greater  and 


OCCULT  HISTORY  131 

very  soon  truth  was  onoe  more  encrusted  with 
creed. 

A  less  known  but  nevertheless  powerful  interest 
was  being  exerted  at  this  time  in  the  far  Orient. 
One  Maoi,  who  had  become  an  esoteric  Christian, 
took  possession  of  the  schools  founded  by  John, 
the  Evangelist,  and,  through  them,  gave  to  the 
Orient  '*the  mysteries  of  the  Kingdom  of  God," 
as  revealed  by  the  Nazarene  Master.  The  Orient 
was  prepared  for  these  teachings  because  of  the 
preliminary  work  done  by  the  disciples  of 
Gautama  Buddha.  In  the  prior  six  centuries. 
Buddhism  had  become  much  corrupted  by  formal- 
ism and  by  the  pessimism  of  its  priests,  and,  while 
the  way  to  a  delivery  from  rebirth  was  pointed 
out  to  the  devout  student,  it  only  ended  in  an- 
nihilation. 

Immortality  was  indeed  a  new  revelation  to  the 
oriental  scholar  of  the  mysteries,  and  was  re- 
freshing to  him  as  rain  to  a  parched  land.  The. 
new  doctrine  of  persistent  individualism  gained 
the  adherence  of  the  most  advanced  scholars. 
Lodges  of  the  Christian  Brotherhood  were  formed, 
through  the  Orient,  and  persisted  well  into  the 
thirteenth  century,  greatly  influencing  religious 
thought. 

About  A.D.  300  the  personality  of  Jesus,  in 
the  minds  of  His  followers,  had  eclipsed  His  teach- 
ings ;  and  around  that  personality,  grew  a  mythol- 
ogy as  gross  as  that  which  enshrouded  the  dying 


132  FRAGMENTS  OF  TRUTH 

and  dead  gods  of  Rome.  At  this  time  the  philo- 
sophic controversies,  in  Alexandria,  were  at  their 
height  and  were  carried  on,  not  only  between  the 
various  schools  but  also  in  factions  within  each 
school.  One  of  the  more  learned  Christian  priests, 
Arius,  about  A.D.  318  entered  into  open  debate 
with  his  superior,  the  Bishop  of  Alexandria,  over 
the  personality  of  Jesus,  and  this  debate  grew  into 
such  proportions  as  to  split  the  entire  Christian 
movement.  East  and  "West,  into  two  sects,  the 
Arians  and  the  Trinitarians. 

It  was  the  object  of  Arius  to  try  to  save  the 
Church  from  the  false  belief  in  the  childlike  fables, 
which,  not  only  the  masses,  but  the  priesthood  had 
accepted;  and  in  their  places  to  once  more  sub- 
stitute esotericism.  He  declared  that  Jesus  was 
created  and  was  not  self-existent;  that  He  was 
not  immutable  nor  impeccable;  that  He  was  not 
the  Logos,  or  **Word,"  and  that  the  Scriptures 
attributed  that  name  to  Him  as  they  do  to  other 
created  minds. 

He  expanded  the  Occult  Philosophy  of  the 
Logos,  which  was  well  known  to  and  accepted  by 
all  the  learned  schools  of  that  day,  and  all  the 
ignorant,  orthodox  bishops  sided  against  him 
while  the  enlightened  minority  gave  allegiance  to 
his  teachings — more  particularly  the  priests  than 
the  bishops.  So  bitter  did  the  controversy  rage 
in  Rome  and  in  Alexandria,  that  finally  Constan- 
tino the  Emperor,  who  for  political  reasons  had 


OCCULT  HISTORY  133 

adopted  Christianity,  convoked  the  Council  of  Nic^^ 
to  pass  upon  the  disputed  question. 

Every  one  familiar  with  Gibbon's  ''History  of 
the  Decline  and  Fall  of  the  Roman  Empire," 
knows  the  intellectual  and  spiritual  qualifications 
of  the  delegate  to  that  Council — and  it  was  a  fore- 
gone conclusion  that  Arius,  and  those  who  stood 
with  him,  should  be  banished  from  the  Church. 

*'Once  to  every  man  and  nation  comes  the  moment 

to  decide. 
In  the  strife  of  Truth  with  falsehood,  for  the 

good  or  evil  side; 
Some  great  cause,  God's  new  Messiah,  offering 

each  the  bloom  or  blight. 
Parts  the  goats  upon  the  left  hand  and  the  sheep 

upon  the  right. 
And   the   choice    goes    by   forever    'twixt   that 

darkness  and  that  light.'* 

At  the  Council  of  Nice,  A.D.  325,  Christianity 
died  and  Churchianity  was  bom.  But  truth  can 
never  die,  and  while  it  was  true  that  the  ignorant 
and  materialistic  men,  who  thenceforth  dominated 
the  Church,  were  unable  to  give  further  esoteri- 
cism  to  the  people,  yet  the  students  of  Occultism, 
within  the  Church,  began  to  form  secret  Brother- 
hoods, within  the  exoteric  body,  and  continued  to 
study  the  mysteries  that  Jesus  had  taught. 

From  the  fourth  to  the  eighth  century  of  this 


134  FRAGMENTS  OF  TRUTH 

era,  Esotericism  or  Occultism,  for  the  words  are 
synonymous,  was  preserved  to  the  Occident  by 
these  Mystic  Orders.  Members  of  a  Brotherhood 
sometimes  got  control  of  a  property  and  then, 
secretly,  sent  word  to  known  students  within  the 
Church  to  come  to  a  designated  monastery  and 
receive  the  ancient  teachings ;  and  the  real  seeker 
for  truth  was  glad  to  avail  himself  of  such  an 
opportunity. 

Judas  was  not  only  an  individual  but  also  a  type, 
and  within  these  Brotherhoods  in  the  eighth  cen- 
tury, were  members  who  became  envious  of  the 
greater  knowledge  and  power  of  their  superiors; 
and  these  traitors,  to  truth,  finally  revealed  to 
the  exoteric  heads  of  the  Church,  the  existence  of 
the  secret  societies,  and  that  they  were  teaching 
contrary  to  the  accepted  dogmas  of  the  Church 
of  Rome.  In  consequence  of  these  revelations,  an 
effort  was  made  to  entirely  uproot  all  esotericism 
within  the  Church.  Monastery  after  monastery 
fell  before  the  accusers.  Many  members  of  the 
Brotherhoods  were  taken  to  Rome  and  condemned 
as  heretics  and  were  dutifully  burned,  or  hanged. 
So  thorough  was  the  investigation  and  severe  the 
condemnation,  that  the  remaining  esotericists, 
within  the  Church,  left  it.  Some  fled  to  the  moun- 
tains where  they  established  Occult  Retreats,  while 
others  went  to  Arabia.  Those  who  went  to  the 
Retreats  carried  their  books,  manuscripts  and 
alchemical  outfits  with  them,  and  they  and  their 


OCCULT  HISTORY  135 

successors,  for  five  centuries  thereafter,  lived  like 
hunted  animals — their  only  offence  being  their 
love  of  truth  and  their  willingness  to  share  such 
of  it,  as  they  possessed,  with  any  or  all  who  cared 
to  receive  it. 

Among  Western  Occultists  the  Piscine  Age  is 
known  as  the  Age  of  Spiritual  Darkness  for  this 
planet,  while  the  Eastern  Occultists  designate  it 
as  Kaliyuga,  the  Black  or  Iron  Age ;  and  the  lowest 
dip  of  the  cycle  was  during  the  period  just  in- 
dicated. Had  it  not  been  for  the  efforts  of  the 
Occultists  to  keep  the  lights  of  truth,  and  of  in- 
tellectuality, burning  during  that  period,  the  Oc- 
cident would  have  completely  turned  to  bar- 
barism; and  as  it  was  it  barely  escaped  that  fate 
as  even  exoteric  history  discloses. 

Of  course  there  were  sporadic  attempts  made 
within  the  Church  to  bring  about  reformations  of 
a  minor  nature — ^making  clean  the  outside  of  the 
platter — ^but  no  basic  changes  in  religious  thought 
could  be  attempted  in  the  Middle  Ages.  The  Oc- 
cult Retreats  established  and  maintained,  at  the 
expense  of  blood,  liberty  and  life,  were  the  only 
repositories  of  knowledge,  sacred  and  secular,  in 
Europe,  outside  of  Spain,  and  some  of  these  Re- 
treats have  been  preserved  and  are  in  existence 
today. 

The  Occultists  who  fled  to  Arabia  found  a  warm 
welcome  from  the  esotericists  who  were  there. 
Some  had  recently  come  from  India  to  aid  in  the 


136  FRAGMENTS  OF  TRUTH 

Mohammedan  Renaissance ;  while  others  were  na- 
tive Arabians  who  were  the  spiritual  heirs  of  the 
ancient  Lemurians  and  Chaldean  priests,  and  were 
the  custodians  of  the  Occult  Archives  which  had 
been  kept  in  Arabia  continuously — from  a  time 
antedating  the  sinking  of  Lemuria — the  oldest 
records  in  the  world. 

The  Europeans  carried  with  them  the  Greek 
Philosophy  which  blended,  in  all  but  name,  with 
that  of  the  esotericism  of  India.  The  Arabian 
students  became  the  torch-bearers  during  the  night 
of  mediaeval  darkness.  Absorbing  both  the  know- 
ledge of  the  East  and  of  the  West,  they  founded 
schools  in  Alexandria,  Bagdad,  Baska,  Bokhara, 
Cairo,  Cordova  and  elsewhere  and  collected  enor- 
mous libraries  at  Alexandria,  Bagdad  and  Cairo. 

In  their  schools  were  taught  philosophy,  mathe- 
matics, medicine,  botany,  chemistry,  poetry,  litera- 
ture (except  drama),  astrology  and  alchemy.  The 
last  two  sciences,  together  with  esoteric  phi- 
losophy, were  preserved  only  for  ''accepted  stu- 
dents," while  all  the  other  subjects  were  offered 
to  the  world.  Students  flocked  from  all  over 
Europe  to  Spain  to  gain  the  knowledge,  otherwise 
unattainable,  in  the  Occident,  and  the  Arabic 
school  in  Cordova  soon  rivalled  the  literary  fame 
of  Bagdad.  This  blaze  of  intellectual  glory,  from 
the  eighth  to  the  thirteenth  centuries,  contrasted 
strangely  with  the  densest  ignorance  of  Europe, 
brought  about  tJirough  Churchianity,  and  threat- 


OCCULT  HISTORY  137 

ened  to  overthrow  the  power  of  Rome,  which 
finally  succeeded,  after  many  efforts,  in  driving 
out,  through  force  of  arms,  the  Arabians  but  was 
never  able  to  eradicate  the  ideas  that  had  been 
given  to  the  Western  "World. 

In  the  thirteenth  century  some  of  the  mem- 
bers of  the  Christian  Brotherhood  emerged,  from 
the  retreats,  to  fan  into  flame  the  protests  against 
the  Church,  which  were  beginning  to  manifest  in 
all  lines  of  endeavor;  for,  at  that  time,  the  op- 
pression of  the  Church  was  felt  in  all  human 
relations. 

Joachim,  of  Flora  in  Calabria,  a  mystic,  inter- 
preted the  Apocalypse  and  the  Book  of  Revela- 
tions in  such  a  manner  as  to  threaten  the  existence 
of  the  Church.  Many  of  the  Franciscans  accepted 
his  teachings  and,  under  various  names  or  sects, 
created  discontent  with  the  Church  throughout 
Europe. 

The  Arabic  text  of  Aristotle  made  its  myster- 
ious way  into  Christian  schools  and  awoke  specula- 
tive thought  and  logic,  in  creed-encrusted  minds. 
European  politics  and  national  controversies  arose 
which  the  Pope  could  not  control.  The  disin- 
tegrating force  of  truth  upon  error,  directed  by 
Occultists,  continued,  during  the  fourteenth  cen- 
tury, and  was  greatly  aided  by  the  removal  of  the 
papal  residence  to  Avignon  (1305-1376)  and  by 
the  Great  Schism  (1378-1417)  when  three  contem- 
poraneous Popes  each  claimed  to  be  the  sole  vicar 


138  FRAGMENTS  OF  TRUTH     - 

of  God  on  earth — a  schism  from  which  Rome 
never  completely  recovered. 

Early  in  the  fifteenth  century,  printing  was 
rediscovered  and  by  the  end  of  that  century, 
had  become  an  established  business  throughout 
Europe.  This  gave  the  Occultists  enormous  facil- 
ities for  spreading  philosophy  a^d  increasing  the 
general  fund  of  human  knowledge. 

About  1425  Christian  Rosencreutz,  an  initiate, 
thinking  the  time  propitious  for  an  esoteric  organ- 
ization, to  again  do  public  work,  sent  emissaries 
to  the  various  Occult  Retreats,  calling  upon  the 
occupants  to  join  him  in  establishing  such  an 
Order.  The  response  was  favorable,  and  after  due 
preparation,  in  1459,  the  Order  of  the  Rosy  Cross 
was  created  in  Germany.  The  next  few  years 
were  spent  by  the  Brotherhood  in  establishing  a 
Lodge  in  France  and  another  in  England;  and 
later  other  Lodges  were  formed  in  other  European 
countries.  The  objects  of  these  Orders  were  the 
reformation  of  the  Church  and  its  teachings,  and 
also  the  propaganda  of  Occultism  and  the  Occult 
Sciences — especially  medicine,  magic  and  al- 
chemy. 

For  the  first  century  of  its  existence,  but  little 
was  publicly  known  of  the  Organization.  The 
members  devoted  themselves  to  sowing  the  seed 
for  the  Reformation  and  to  helping  worthy  in- 
dividuals who  were  sick  in  body  or  in  soul.  Slowly 
the  marvellous  cures  of  the  Brotherhood  became 


OCCULT  HISTORY  139 

more  generally  known  and  their  activities  talked 
about.  No  one,  however,  was  able  to  locate  the 
meeting  places  of  the  Lodges  nor  to  identify  the 
members — for  centuries  of  persecution  had  taught 
them  caution. 

The  Eosicrucians,  as  the  Brotherhood  was  then 
known,  made  its  first  publication  in  1614  and  other 
documents  followed  from  time  to  time,  all  of  which 
were  so  written  as  to  stimulate  inquiry,  among 
would-be  probationers,  and  to  awaken  thought  in 
the  general  public.  Eome  soon  felt  the  effect  of 
these  activities,  and  every  effort  was  made  to 
locate  the  Lodges  and  their  members.  But  the 
Eosicrucians  were  at  once  everywhere  and  no- 
where. There  was  not  a  movement  for  human 
liberation  that  they  did  not  either  initiate,  or  aid, 
but  their  greatest  efforts  were  made,  in  Germany 
and  in  Switzerland,  to  bring  about  the  Eeforma- 
tion.  Similar  efforts  were  made  in  France,  backed 
by  the  University  of  Paris  and  the  educated 
classes,  but  the  King,  Francis  I,  and  later,  his  son 
and  successor,  Henry  II,  for  political  reasons,  sup- 
ported the  Church  and  largely  suppressed  the 
French  Protestants. 

In  England  also  the  reformers  were  successful, 
more  largely  due,  however,  to  the  domestic  affairs 
of  Henry  VIII  and  to  his  political  policies  than  to 
spiritual  enlightenment.  The  Eosicrucian  Order, 
in  course  of  time,  closed  its  Lodges  in  all  the 
countries  of  Europe  and  in  England,  except  in 


140  FRAGMENTS  OF  TRUTH 

Germany  and  in  France,  and  these  two  Lodges 
persist  to  the  present  day. 

But  this  ancient  and  powerful  Occult  body 
should  not  be  confused  with  later  organizations, 
frankly  formed  to  study  the  words  and  works  of 
the  Order  of  the  Rosy  Cross — ^most  notably  in 
England — nor  with  the  fi^e  spurious  bodies  in  the 
United  States  by  the  same  name,  each  claiming  to 
be  the  genuine  successor  of  the  ancient  Order ;  for 
the  original  Rosicrucians  never  established,  or 
authorized.  Lodges  outside  of  England  and  the 
European  Continent. 

The  Uluminati  was  also  another  mystic  Order, 
founded  by  Occultists  in  Spain  in  the  sixteenth 
century  (about  1520).  It  was  the  offshoot  of  the 
Arabic  Esotericists  but  was  finally  crushed  by  the 
Inquisition.  Some  members  went  to  Paris  and  es- 
tablished the  Order  there  in  1623-1635,  and 
later,  another  branch  in  the  South  of  France  in 
1722  which  persisted  until  the  Revolution.  And 
in  1776  the  Order  was  established  at  Ingolstadt, 
to  combat  the  influence  of  the  Jesuits.  The  Free 
Masons  took  up  this  movement  and  it  grew  rapidly 
in  Germany,  but  internal  dissensions  of  unde- 
veloped members  caused  its  disruption  in  1785. 

In  this  brief  sketch  of  Occultism,  during  the 
Christian  era,  it  is  the  intent  of  the  author  to  only 
touch  upon  those  Occult  bodies  whose  work  was 
essentially  constructive,  unselfish  and  evolution- 
ary.   There  were  other  Occult  Societies  existing 


OCCULT  HISTORY  141 

during  this  period  that  were  established  solely  for 
the  individual  benefit  of  their  members ;  and  still 
others  whose  work  was  both  constructive  and  de- 
structive, as  the  times  and  occasions  fitted  with, 
or  opposed  their  organic  selfish  purposes;  and 
lastly  there  existed  and  exist.  Occult  bodies  whose 
purposes  are  evil  and  destructive.  Then,  too,  in 
this  sketch  of  Occultism,  esoteric  organizations 
and  movements,  rather  than  individual  Occultists, 
have  been  dwelt  upon,  except  in  cases  where  in- 
dividuals initiated  a  movement,  or  an  organization, 
and  were  essential  to  its  success. 

There  were  many  Occultists  who  did  an  enor- 
mous good,  through  their  writings,  during  this 
period  but  who  are  omitted  only  because  of  the 
limit  to  the  scope  of  this  Chapter.  It  has  always 
been  the  policy  of  the  constructive  Occultist  to 
emphasize  his  philosophy,  or  science,  rather  than 
to  exploit  himself — to,  as  far  as  possible,  follow 
the  injunction;  ^*Let  not  thy  left  hand  know  what 
thy  right  hand  doeth."  Thus  have  Occultists 
always  been  the  instruments  through  which  Divine 
Will  has  shaped  the  religious  history  of  the  world 
and  accelerated  the  evolution  of  mankind.  Neces- 
sarily, then,  there  have  been  times  when  Occultists 
were  willing  to  be  immolated  for  the  sake  of  the 
common  good;  times  when  it  was  impossible  for 
them  to  work  silently  or  secretly  and  accomplish 
their  purposes.  Many  of  those  whose  mission  was 
to  do  public  work  received  scant  appreciation, 


142  FRAGMENTS  OF  TRUTH 

from  their  contemporaries,  but  sometimes  earned 
the  admiration  or  worship  of  posterity  while 
others  still  remained  '*  unwept,  unhonored  and 
unsung." 

In  the  first  half  of  the  sixteenth  century  there 
lived  an  occultist  who,  in  many  lives,  had  borne 
the  burdens  of  humanity;  and  who  had  done  as 
much  to  help  shape  the  intellectual  and  spiritual 
destiny  of  mankind  as  perhaps  any  other  ego, 
evolving  on  this  planet.  He  was  popularly  known, 
during  the  period  mentioned,  as  Paracelsus.  It 
is  well  known  to  advanced  students  of  Occultism, 
that  the  ego  then  known  as  Paracelsus  had  worked 
all  through  the  Arine  and  Piscine  Ages  in  other 
bodies  for  the  uplift  of  the  world ;  and  had  in  two 
prior  incarnations  made  history  and  in  many 
other  lives,  less  public,  helped  to  shape  it. 

In  the  earlier  part  of  the  Arine  Age  he  was 
known  as  Elijah  and  later  in  that  period  as 
Socrates.  It  is  well  known  to  all  educated  people 
what  he  accomplished  during  those  incarnations. 
As  Paracelsus  his  mission  was  to  aid  in  the 
Renaissance ;  and,  more  particularly,  to  reform  the 
practice  of  medicine,  to  revive  an;  interest  in  eso- 
teric philosophy,  to  establish  the  science  of  chem- 
istry and  to  prove  the  actuality  of  Alchemy. 

It  was  to  be  expected  that  a  man,  who  taught 
so  contrary  to  orthodox  religion  and  to  orthodox 
medicine,  would  receive  but  little  justice,  in  the 
judgment  of  his  contemporaries,  or  from  exoteric 


OCCULT  HISTORY  143 

historians.  And  it  is  somewhat  surprising  that 
attempts  were  made  in  the  nineteenth  century  to 
more  accurately  appraise  him. 

Dr.  Arthur  Edward  Waite  has  a  fair  but  brief 
biographical  preface  to  his  English  translation  of 
'^The  Hermetic  and  Alchemical  Writings"  of 
Paracelsus;  and  all  students  of  Occultism  are 
under  obligation  to  Dr.  Waite  for  his  painstaking 
efforts  in  collecting  and  translating  these  writings. 

**The  Life  of  Paracelsus,''  by  Dr.  Franz  Hart- 
mann  (1886)  is  a  good  biography  in  English.  Anna 
M.  Stoddard,  in  establishing  the  fame  of  Para- 
celsus, as  the  Father  of  Medicine  and  Chemistry, 
has  in  her  life  of  Paracelsus  (1911),  totally  mis- 
understood and  belittled  the  greater  side  of  his 
nature,  as  a  Mystic  and  Alchemist. 

It  is  now  generally  conceded  that  he  was  the 
foremost  medical  practitioner  of  his  time  and  that, 
by  reason  of  his  wide  knowledge,  he  was  able  to 
expand,  if  not  change,  the  course  of  medical  educa- 
tion. He  was  the  first  to  announce  the  doctrine 
that  life  processes  are  chemical.  The  discovery 
of  hydrogen  is  placed  to  his  credit  as  are  also 
many  chemical  remedies. 

Important  as  are  all  these  discoveries,  still  more 
so  are  his  teachings  of  Occultism.  His  greatest 
achievement,  from  the  viewpoint  of  the  Occultist, 
was  the  rediscovery  of  the  Philosopher's  Stone, 
and  his  writings  instructing  others  how  to  search 
for  it.    It  has  only  been  since  the  discovery  of 


144  FRAGMENTS  OF  TRUTH 

radium,  that  modern  physicists  and  chemists  have 
conceded  that  Alchemy  was  possibly,  or  probably, 
a  real  science.  Occultists  have  known  this  truth 
for  ages  though  but  few  have  succeeded  in  master- 
ing its  mysteries. 

In  the  alchemical  writings  of  Paracelsus  are 
embodied  all  that  is  best  in  the  writings  of  his 
predecessors,  and  all  that  has  been  written  since 
is  but  surplusage.  Probably  no  Alchemist  will 
ever  again  attempt  to  write  a  treatise  on  the  sub- 
ject because  Paracelsus  has  said  all  that  should 
be  said.  Perhaps  a  word  on  Alchemy  will  not  be 
out  of  place  in  this  connection. 

Alchemy  has  three  aspects :  spiritual,  mental  and 
physical.  The  greatest  object  of  the  Alchemist  is 
to  transmute  his  nature  so  as  to  quickly  evolve. 
Corresponding  to  this  higher  philosophic  aspect 
of  the  subject,  is  the  secondary  one:  the  trans- 
mutation of  the  physical  body  in  order  that  an 
efficient  instrument  may  be  prepared  for  the  use 
of  the  ego  in  its  evolvement.  The  Philosopher's 
Stone,  symbolically,  is  the  Occult  Philosophy 
through  which  is  brought  about  spiritual,  and 
mental  transmutation.  For  the  renewal  and  pres- 
ervation of  the  physical  body,  an  actual  material 
** Stone,"  or  alchemical  preparation  is  neces- 
sary. 

They  are  no  mere  idle  tales,  that  are  read  in  the 
Scripture,  which  ascribe  centuries  of  uninter- 
rupted   physical    life    to    the    patriarchs    and 


OCCULT  HISTORY  145 

prophets;  for  having  learned  first  to  live  the 
Occult  spiritual  life,  later  they  gained,  after  much 
labor,  the  knowledge  of  how  to  perpetuate  their 
physical  bodies.  Nor  was  it  an  idle  claim  of  the 
mediaeval  Alchemists  that  they  could,  by  use  of 
the  Philosopher's  Stone,  cure  any  disease  and  re- 
new their  physical  bodies,  or  the  bodies  of  others, 
and  prolong  life  to  any  age  desired. 

The  normal  life  of  man,  even  treated  as  an 
animal,  should  greatly  exceed  his  present,  average 
age;  and  there  is  no  scientific  reason  why  there 
should  not  be  discovered  a  way  to  eliminate  waste 
and  to  renew  the  chemicals  of  the  body. 

It  is  the  contention  of  the  Alchemists  that  all 
disease,  including  old  age,  is  due  to  the  presence 
of  various  acids  in  the  body ;  and,  therefore,  their 
elimination  is  the  first  step  toward  a  cure  which 
is  perfected  by  the  introduction  into  the  system 
of  the  necessary  building  elements.  The  Phi- 
losopher's Stone  accomplishes  both  results  and 
there  are  on  earth  now,  twelve  Occultists,  one  a 
woman,  who  possess  the  knowledge  of  how  to  pre- 
pare and  use  the  '* Stone." 

The  only  object  the  Occultist  has  in  prolonging 
his  physical  life  is  to  acquire  knowledge  and 
power,  and  to  thus  advance  his  own  evolution,  and 
to  aid  others,  who  have  proven  themselves  worthy 
of  individual  attention,  in  their  upward  struggle. 
The  interruption  of  death,  necessitating  rebirth, 
destroys  the  continuity  of  consciousness  for  a  time 


146  FRAGMENTS  OF  TRUTH 

and  thus  makes  evolvement  of  the  individual 
slower. 

The  Philosopher's  Stone,  when  strengthened 
and  purified,  by  years  of  patient  toil,  will  not  only 
cure  any  disease  and  prolong  physical  life,  but 
will,  as  Paracelsus  declared,  transmute  baser 
metals  into  gold;  but  this  latter  use  is  more  of  a 
laboratory  experiment  than  a  commercial  process. 
Doubtless,  in  former  ages,  when  there  was  a 
scarcity  of  gold,  the  process  may  have  been  com- 
mercial, but  it  is  not  now  so  viewed  by  Alchemists. 
It  is  said,  however,  that  some  modern  Alchemists 
have  the  power  to  change  silver  into  gold,  but  the 
Philosopher's  Stone  is  not  used  in  that  process. 

Paracelsus'  great  work  was  incomplete  by 
reason  of  his  untimely  death,  instigated  by  the 
medical  profession,  whose  short-comings  he  so 
mercilessly  exposed.  He  excarnated  in  1541  and 
reincarnated  before  the  end  of  that  century.  The 
first  century,  of  his  new  life,  was  devoted  to  fur- 
ther research  in  the  realms  of  the  Occult  Sciences. 
His  first  public  appearance  was  in  the  first  quarter 
of  the  eighteenth  century.  He  purchased  from 
the  Pope  a  small  property  called  St.  Germain, 
in  the  Italian  Tyrol,  which  carried  with  it  the  title 
Count  de  St.  Germain,  and  as  such  he  was  known 
to  history. 

Even  his  enemies  admit  that  he  was  one  of  the 
most,  if  not  the  most,  accomplished  linguists  of 
Europe.    It  is  also  conceded  that  he  was  an  adept 


OCCULT  HISTORY  147 

musician;  and  it  was  said  that  with  the  violin, 
he  rivalled  Paganini*Iiimself.  His  knowledge  of 
medicine  and  the  sciences  was  extraordinary.  Be- 
cause of  his  proficiency  in  history,  he  was  sent 
upon  many  diplomatic  missions  by  Louis  XV.  He 
played  an  important  part  in  placing  Catherine  II 
on  the  Eussian  throne.  In  Germany  he  founded 
freemasonry.  He  was  very  wealthy  and  made 
presents  of  wonderful  jewels  to  his  friends  and  to 
the  crowned  heads  of  Europe.  Those  jewels  he 
said  were  made  by  himself,  through  alchemical 
processes,  in  his  laboratory.  He  claimed  to  have 
the  power  to  live  indefinitely,  through  his  knowl- 
edge of  alchemical  medicine.  It  is  further  con- 
ceded that  he  knew,  well,  all  the  prominent  people 
of  Europe  and  was  a  welcome  visitor  at  their 
homes.  How  incredible,  then,  seem  the  silly 
stories  and  exaggerations  that  his  enemies  have 
tried  to  fasten  to  his  personality. 

Having  touched  upon  some  of  the  acknowledged 
accomplishments  of  this  brilliant  man,  it  may 
prove  interesting  to  lightly  sketch  some  of  the 
Occult  work  he  sought  to  accomplish  under  the 
name  of  St.  Germain.  Primarily  he  desired  to 
awaken,  in  the  minds  of  the  people,  a  curiosity 
concerning  Occult  Philosophy  and  its  sciences,  in 
order  that  a  few  should  learn  to  take  life  more 
seriously  and  thereby  consciously  undertake  their 
own  evolution.  He  dazzled  all  classes  of  society 
by  a  display  of  his  knowledge  and  power,  hoping 


148  FRAGMENTS  OF  TRUTH 

that  some  persons  would  try  to  emulate  his  ac- 
complishments, which  could  only  be  done  through 
the  study  of  Occultism.  It  was  not  a  pleasant 
position  to  assume,  for,  by  nature  and  by  prefer- 
ence, Occultists  are  silent  unseen  helpers  of  the 
world ;  but  humanity  had  to  be  appealed  to,  on  its 
own  plane  of  consciousness,  and  a  few  responded. 

St.  Germain  was  a  great  traveller  and  took  oc- 
casion to  meet  and  to  help  as  many  students, 
old  and  new,  as  possible;  and  among  the  more 
prominent  of  these  was  Friedrich  Anton  Mesmer. 
This  ego  had  been  a  student  of  the  Count  in  a 
prior  life  and  at  his  suggestion  removed  to  Paris 
in  1778. 

The  special  wort  delegated  to  Mesmer  by  his 
Teacher,  was  to  stimulate  interest  in  medicine  and 
in  mesmerism,  which  he  did.  Later,  Mesmer 
founded  an  Occult  Society  known  as  the  **  Order 
of  Universal  Harmony." 

It  is  common  knowledge  how  well  Mesmer  suc- 
ceeded, for  a  time,  and  how,  later,  the  world  de- 
serted him,  after  a  commission  composed  of 
physicians  and  scientists  had  investigated  mes- 
merism and  reported  to  the  French  Government 
that  it  did  not  exist.  But,  fortunately,  Mesmer 
studied  Alchemy,  under  St.  Germain,  and  obtained 
the  Philosopher's  Stone,  consequently  he  lived  to 
see  the  commission's  report  reversed,  by  all  the 
world,  in  the  following  century.  For  Mesmer  did 
not  die  in  1815,  as  was  commonly  reported,  but 


OCCULT  HISTORY  149     / 

lived  in  Paris  after  the  Revolution  until  1918, 
when  he  left  there  and  went  into  an  Occult  Re- 
treat. 

In  one  of  his  frequent  visits  of  mercy  to  the 
poor  in  Paris,  St.  Germain  found  a  young  man 
suffering  with  cancer.  He  was  the  son  of  a  French 
woman  and  an  Italian,  named  Cagliostro.  St.  Ger- 
main recognized  in  the  lad  a  reincarnation  of  a 
former  student,  took  the  boy  to  his  home  and  cured 
his  disease.  By  reason  of  the  close  association, 
for  there  was  no  legal  relationship,  Cagliostro 
became  popularly  known,  first,  as  the  Count's  son  ^ 
and,  later,  as  Count  Cagliostro. 

Under  St.  Germain's  instruction,  Alesandro 
Cagliostro,  after  a  few  years,  became  very  well 
educated  in  the  arts  and  sciences  and  in  Occultism. 
His  work,  as  directed  by  St.  Germain,  was  to  en- 
large the  scope  of  freemasonry.  After  his  initia- 
tion into  that  Order,  he  went  through  Europe  es- 
tablishing Lodges.  Instead  of  confining  his  efforts  " 
to  men,  Cagliostro,  foreseeing  the  part  women 
were  destined  to  play,  in  the  future  of  the  world, 
admitted  them  as  freemasons  and  some  of  their 
Lodges  are  still  extant  in  France.  The  ritual  of 
today  was  merely  used  then  to  keep  out  all  cowans 
and  eavesdroppers;  and  after  the  Lodges  were 
opened,  not  only  Occultism  was  discussed  but  also 
Church  reformation  and  political  matters.  It  was 
because  of  the  activities  of  masons,  in  Church  re- 
formation, that  the  Order  fell  under  its  ban,  which 


150  FRAGMENTS  OF  TRUTH 

has  never  been  lifted.  Rome,  in  those  days, 
especially  in  France  and  Germany,  never  forgave 
a  member  of  the  Church  who  joined  the  masons. 
Cagliostro,  because  of  his  great  activities  in  that 
line,  and,  peculiarly,  because  he  admitted  women 
to  membership,  was  marked  for  Rome's  anathema. 

It  was  not  because  of  the  lessons  taught  in 
symbolic  masonry  that  the  Church  objected  to  the 
Order,  but,  because  it  had  suffered  disruption  in 
the  Reformation  through  the  work  of  secret  so- 
cieties. Because  the  Lodges  were  founded  by  Cag- 
liostro, therefore,  no  effort  was  spared  by  the 
Church  to  belittle  and  besmear  the  name  of  Cag- 
liostro— ^living  or  dead. 

In  December,  1789,  the  Holy  Inquisition  con- 
demned him  to  death  for  freemasonry.  Some  his- 
torians say  he  was  executed;  others  that  he  was 
imprisoned  in  the  fortress  of  San  Leon,  for  life. 
Most  of  the  misinformation  concerning  this  mys- 
terious and  self-sacrificing  Occultist  was  due  to 
the  direct  efforts  of  Rome,  but  not  a  little  was 
the  result  of  mistaken  identity. 

A  distant  relative  of  Cagliostro,  on  his  father's 
Side,  one  Joseph  Balsamo,  resembled  the  Count 
in  personal  appearance.  Balsamo  was  a  most  un- 
scrupulous character  and  frequently  impersonated 
Cagliostro  throughout  Europe.  Cagliostro,  like 
his  teacher  and  friend,  St.  Germain,  was  popular 
among  all  classes,  and  those  who  knew  him  well 
were  not  deceived ;  but  many  who  desired  and  did 


\,? 


OCCULT  HISTORY  151 

not  have  the  honor  of  Cagliostro's  acquaintance 
were  easily  imposed  upon.  Many  of  Balsamo's 
escapades  and  dishonest  practices  were  thus  mis- 
takenly attributed  to  Cagliostro. 

Carlyle  in  his  '^ Miscellanies,"  (1833)  collected 
all  the  misinformation,  which  gossip  and  malice 
could  supply,  and  gave  them  to  the  world  as  Cag- 
liostro's  biography.  Mr.  W.  K.  H.  Trowbridge 
has  made  the  only  serious  attempt  (Cagliostro, 
1910)  in  English,  to  weigh  historical  evidence  and 
deal  justly  with  the  great  Occultist ;  and  all  eso- 
tericists  throughout  the  world  appreciate  his 
honest  effort  and  believe  he  did  the  best  he  could 
with  the  evidence  at  his  command. 

According  to  Occult  history,  after  Cagliostro 
was  condemned  to  death,  as  a  freemason,  the  night 
before  the  day  set  for  his  execution  St.  Germain 
succeeded  in  liberating  him  and  sent  him  to  the 
mountains  to  remain  until  after  the  Revolution. 
But,  before  he  was  recalled,  he  was  stricken  with 
typhoid  fever  and  died  alone  in  his  little  cabin  in 
the  Pyrenees  without  medicine,  or  care. 

St.  Germain  did  not  escape  from  France,  during 
the  earlier  part  of  the  Revolution,  but  disguised 
and  concealed  himself  in  the  Latin  quarter  of 
Paris,  until  conditions  became  less  abnormal,  when 
he  went  abroad,  for  a  time — leaving  his  title  and 
his  name  behind  him  as  so  many  others  did  at 
that  period. 

All  biographies  differ  as  to  the  place  and  time 


152  FRAGMENTS  OF  TRUTH 

of  his  death;  but  generally  unite  in  saying  that 
he  died  ** about"  1780,  *' although  he  is  said  to  have 
been  seen  in  Paris  as  late  as  1789,  or  later.'' 

The  Occultists  say  that  St.  Germain  returned 
to  Paris,  after  the  Revolution,  and  made  that  city 
his  headquarters  until  1918  when  he,  and  a  number 
of  his  European  students,  retired  to  a  retreat  in 
Arabia. 

The  activity  of  the  Occultists  during  the  nine- 
teenth century  is  embodied  in  the  Chapter  entitled 
''The  Spiritual  Renaissance  of  the  Nineteenth 
Century.'' 


CHAPTER  EIGHT 

VANITY 

Vanity  is  a  characteristic  of  the  animal  nature 
and  did  not  belong,  originally,  to  the  subjective 
mind.  When  the  Sons  of  God  came  to  earth  they 
had  no  vanity.  In  the  Arcadian  lives  that  they 
had  lived,  upon  the  Moon,  each  looked  like  the 
others ;  and,  since  they  had  never  made  an  effort 
to  live,  they  had  no  ideas  of  individual  superior- 
ity. They  had  no  consciousness  of  the  need  of 
individual  possessions,  and,  therefore,  knew  not 
the  difference  between  ^'mine  and  thine." 

But,  with  the  animal  minds,  whom  they  es- 
poused, it  was  different;  for,  with  them,  the 
struggle,  first,  for  communal  possessions,  and 
later,  for  individual  possessions,  had  been  in 
progress  since  the  time  the  ants  learned  that  a 
few  members  of  their  community  had  accom- 
phshed  more  work,  had  contributed  more  food 
and  had  laid  more  eggs,  in  their  particular  nest, 
than  had  some  of  the  others.  And  then  was  born 
a  communal  appreciation  that  caused  the  more 
ambitious  ants  to  build  a  new  hill,  or  nest,  and 
leave  the  less  active,  less  competent  members  of 
their  swarm  behind. 

In  their  next  state  of  consciousness,  as  honey 

153 


154  FRAGMENTS  OF  TRUTH 

bees,  the  same  spirit  of  communal  appreciation 
manifested  again.  When  their  hives,  or  hollow 
trees,  became  overcrowded  with  drones  that  per- 
sisted in  living  upon  the  production  of  the  real 
workers,  again  they  separated  into  two  classes; 
the  appreciative  bees  left  their  old  abiding  place 
and  secured  a  new  one  where  they  proceeded  to 
manifest  their  activities  without  the  restraint  im- 
posed upon  them  by  the  drones. 

When  the  communal  consciousness  became  di- 
vided and  merged  into  the  lower  animal  con- 
sciousness, then  communal  appreciation  disap- 
peared and  self-appreciation  and  self-reliance 
began  to  manifest  in  the  small  animals.  For 
example : 

The  almost  human  expression  of  self-reliance 
and  self-appreciation  on  the  face  of  the  inde- 
pendent little  squirrel,  shows  what  he  thinks  of 
himself  as  he  sits  upon  the  limb  of  a  tree,  just 
outside  his  nest,  and  looks  complacently  down, 
from  his  elevated  position,  upon  his  inefficient 
brother  squirrels  who  have  procrastinated,  with 
their  opportunities,  and  are  now  frantically  dig- 
ging their  nuts  and  acorns  out  of  the  snow ;  while 
he  has  gathered  his  winter-store  and  has  hidden 
it  away. 

And  that  self-appreciative,  self-satisfied  little 
scrap  of  individualized  consciousness  nibbles 
daintily  at  the  nice  fat  acorn,  he  has  selected 
from  his  supplies,  while  he  indifferently  waves 


VANITY  155 

his  handsome  tail  above  the  unsuccessful  little 
creatures  below.  Thus  he  manifests  his  seK- 
appreciation  and  self-reliance. 

In  the  human  baby,  seK-reliance  begins  to 
manifest  when  it  finds  it  can  stand  alone  and 
walk  a  few  steps  unsupported  by  its  nurse.  And, 
when  it  is  old  enough  to  begin  to  understand  the 
complimentary  things  said  to,  and  about  it ;  when 
it  has  learned  to  know  something  of  the  meaning 
of  the  word  ^* pretty,"  its  little  heart  begins  to 
swell  with  self-appreciation.  And  when  it  under- 
stands that  it  is  **the  prettiest,  smartest,  cutest 
child  that  ever  lived,"  then  vanity  is  born  in  the 
mind  of  the  human  baby. 

There  is  a  fine  distinction  between  self -appre- 
ciation and  vanity;  and  a  close  analysis  is  re- 
quired to  determine  where  self-appreciation  ends 
and  vanity  begins.  The  Occultist  says,  self -ap- 
preciation comes  as  a  result  of  self-reliance. 
When  an  animal,  or  a  man,  through  effort,  over- 
comes obstacles  and  realizes  his  power,  those  two 
characteristics  are  necessary  to  the  founding  of 
his  character.  But,  when  he  begins  to  compare 
his  appearance  and  his  successes  with  the  appear- 
ance and  successes  of  another,  then  vanity  comes 
into  his  nature;  and,  while  self-reliance  and  self- 
appreciation  are  constructive  to  a  good  charac- 
ter, vanity,  like  a  corrosive  acid,  destroys  it. 

Vanity  is  such  a  subtle  emotion  and  appears  in 
so  many  guises  that  many  times  men  are  de- 


156  FRAGMENTS  OF  TRUTH 

ceived  by  it.  For  it  manifests,  not  only  with 
regard  to  personal  appearance,  but  with  the  men- 
tal and  spiritual  perceptions  of  men  and  women. 
And  when  it  has  been  eradicated  from  one  form 
of  manifestation  it  often  becomes  strongly  estab- 
lished in  another.    For  example : 

There  was  a  man  whom  the  world  called  a 
handsome,  distinguished  gentleman.  He  was  edu- 
cated and  refined  and  held  a  prominent  position 
in  society.  Friends,  of  both  sexes,  admired  and 
flattered  him ;  and  he  became  so  accustomed  to  re- 
ceiving compliments  he  felt  resentful  to  those  who 
did  not  offer  them.  His  affable,  charming  manner 
made  him  an  agreeable  companion  and  his  real 
goodness  of  heart  won  the  love  of  many  persons 
who  knew  him  well.  He  was  an  admirer  of 
beauty,  and,  because  of  the  compliments  continu- 
ally received,  became  convinced  that  his  taste, 
regarding  all  things,  was  best.  He  compared  his 
face  and  figure  with  those  of  other  men,  and 
decided  his  admirers  were  right  in  their  judg- 
ment, that  he  was  the  handsomest  man  he  had 
ever  seen — and  became  satisfied  with  himself,  as 
he  was. 

Because  he  believed  he  knew  everything,  that 
was  necessary  to  know,  and  possessed  everything, 
that  was  necessary  to  have,  he  had  no  desire  to 
learn  anything  more  difficult  than  the  latest 
dances  and  the  newest  fashionable  fads.  In  his 
estimation,  he  had  reached  perfected  manhood 


VANITY  157 

and  there  was  nothing  more  for  him  to  attain. 
And  here  his  evolvement  paused  and  trembled 
in  the  balance,  because  his  vanity  told  him  there 
was  nothing  more  for  him  to  gain. 

The  years  passed,  and,  as  this  man  continued 
to  live  in  the  atmosphere  of  flattery,  his  vanity 
became  colossal  and  his  friends  called  him  Apollo, 
which  pleased  him  greatly.  But,  suddenly  a 
change  came  into  his  life.  He  lost  his  fortune, 
and,  soon  afterward,  met  with  a  mishap  which 
temporarily  disabled  and  permanently  disfigured 
him. 

His  fashionable  friends  deserted  and  forgot 
him;  and  he  was  left  alone  to  meditate  upon  his 
new  condition.  He  passed  through  the  valley 
of  the  shadow  of  death  and  despair,  and  stopped 
just  this  side  of  the  great  Divide.  While  he  lay 
upon  his  bed  of  suffering  and  saw  to  what  his 
vanity  had  led  him,  he  made  a  vow  never  again 
would  he  allow  vanity  to  influence  his  thoughts 
or  acts ;  that  he  would  crush  it  forever  out  of  his 
consciousness. 

In  beginning  life  all  over  again,  he  selected  the 
Law  for  his  profession.  He  reasoned  that  this 
would  be  the  best  profession  for  him,  since  beauty 
of  face  and  form  was  not  necessary  to  the  win- 
ning of  a  verdict  with  a  jury.  He  remembered 
that  some  of  the  brightest  men  on  the  Bench,  and 
at  the  Bar,  were  the  ugliest,  and  then  began  his 
work  in  earnest. 


158  FRAGMENTS  OF  TRUTH 

He  studied  as  diligently  as  he  had  danced  and 
flirted  and  the  results  were  not  long  in  coming. 
He  became  a  counsellor  at  law  whose  opinion, 
upon  legal  questions,  was  eagerly  sought.  He 
gained  a  power  of  eloquence  that  was  irresistible, 
and,  to  secure  him  for  an  advocate,  was  almost  a 
guarantee  of  winning  a  case.  His  fame  spread 
throughout  the  country  as  a  consequence. 

But  he  never  wore  good  clothes,  was  noted  for 
his  shabby,  personal  appearance  and  seemed  to 
take  great  pleasure  in  shocking  his  associates, 
and  the  public,  by  his  untidiness  and  irregulari- 
ties in  dress.  He  rarely  shaved,  never  combed 
his  hair,  at  the  back  of  his  head,  and  permitted 
it  to  fall  over  his  forehead  almost  to  his  eye- 
brows. He  became  known  as  **Shagg}^  Jack," 
and  gloried  in  this  title,  believing  it  and  the  ir- 
regularities of  his  dress  were  evidences  that  he 
had  destroyed,  in  himself,  the  last  shred  of 
vanity. 

He  was  mistaken,  however;  his  vanity  had 
shifted  its  position  from  the  physical  to  the 
mental  plane,  of  his  consciousness,  and  was  as 
firmly  entrenched  there  as  it  had  been  on  the 
physical.  For,  in  his  position  as  counselor, 
when  he  now  made  a  statement  concerning  a 
point  of  law,  that  statement  must  stand,  as  he  had 
made  it.  If  he  decided  upon  the  guilt,  or  inno- 
cence, of  a  client  it  did  not  matter  what  evidence 
ijvere  brought  to  prove  facts  to  the  contrary,  he 


VANITY  159 

refused  to  accept  anything  that  disagreed  with 
his  decision,  and  fought  determinedly  to  maintain 
it. 

He  became  bitter  and  unrelenting,  in  his  ego- 
tism, and  intolerant  with  every  one  who  differed 
from  him  in  opinion.  His  desire  was  to  rule,  or 
ruin,  every  person  with  whom  he  entered  into 
any  form  of  relationship.  And  again  he  became 
retarded  in  his  evolvement  by  the  mental  vanity 
that  blinded  and  made  him  believe  the  small  ele- 
vation upon  which  he  stood  was  the  top  of  the 
highest  mountain  peak  of  knowledge.  Vanity 
had  cast  a  curtain  of  fog  before  his  mental  vision 
and  he  could  see  nothing  above  and  beyond  him- 
self; and  again  he  believed  there  was  nothing 
more  to  strive  for,  nothing  more  to  attain. 

Another  example  of  how  that  subtle  emotion, 
vanity,  deceives  its  possessor  was  manifested  in 
the  case  of  a  woman.  She,  also,  had  lost  her  for- 
tune, her  beauty  and  her  social  position.  She 
turned  to  the  Church  for  consolation  and  became 
a  religious  fanatic.  After  studying  the  Bible,  the 
Catechism  and  the  lives  of  all  the  Saints  and 
Martyrs,  she  decided  to  follow  in  their  footsteps. 

Because  she  had  accepted  the  King  James  ver- 
sion of  the  Scriptures,  for  her  life  guide,  she  be- 
lieved it  to  be  the  only  guide  for  any  one  to  fol- 
low. She  accepted  the  fallacy,  for  a  truth,  that 
every  human  soul  had  been  lost  who  had  passed 
from  physical  life  without  the  knowledge  and 


160  FRAGMENTS  OF  TRUTH 

belief  that  Jesus  of  Nazareth  came  into  the  world 
to  save  sinners.  She  thought  she  knew  that  every 
soul,  who  would  pass  out  of  material  expression 
without  that  same  knowledge  and  belief,  must 
meet  the  same  fate  of  the  unfortunates  of  the 
past.    . 

In  her  desire  for  a  broader  field  for  her  Chris- 
tian labors,  she  left  her  helpless  old  mother  to 
be  cared  for  by  the  county,  sent  her  son  and 
daughter  to  live  with  relatives,  who  grudgingly 
accepted  them  as  encumbrances,  and  sailed  for 
the  Orient.  There,  among  people  whom  she 
called  heathen,  because  they  had  not  her  religious 
belief,  she  settled  herself  to  the  self-imposed  task 
of  saving  souls  from  everlasting  punishment. 

A  few  women,  of  the  lower  classes,  were  will- 
ing to  be  taught  sewing  and  fancy  work;  but  not 
one  individual  did  she  find  who  accepted  her  re- 
ligious views — ^because  they  all  believed  they  had 
better  ones. 

For  years  the  spiritual  vanity  of  that  woman 
kept  her  blinded  to  the  fact  that  she  was  doing  a 
mistaken  duty;  and,  instead,  made  her  believe 
that  her  work,  among  the  so-called  heathen,  would 
bring  her  close  to  God;  and  that,  in  return  for 
her  efforts,  she  would  be  given  an  exalted  place 
in  heaven  among  the  Saints  and  Martyrs. 

Her  vanity  showed  her  the  alluring  mental 
picture  of  herself  clasped  in  the  arms  of  Jesus, 
while  other  less  fortunate  souls  looked  enviously 


VANITY  161 

at  her  in  that  blest  exclusiveness.  It  never 
occurred  to  her  simple  mind,  that  there  were 
thousands  of  other  fanatics  in  the  world  who 
expect  to  lie  in  the  arms  of  Jesus,  when  their 
life  struggles  are  ended;  and  if  she  had  thought 
of  it,  her  vanity  would  have  told  her  that  she 
would  be  the  favored  one,  above  all  others,  to 
win  that  happiness. 

After  years  of  hard  work,  disappointment,  pri- 
vation and  constant  prayer  this  victim,  of  spirit- 
ual vanity,  died  alone  in  a  little  hut;  but,  before 
she  passed  on,  she  wrote  to  her  family  and  told 
them  that,  although  she  had  not  saved  any  souls, 
there,  her  life  had  been  a  sanctified  one  and  she 
was  glad  to  die  a  martyr  to  her  faith.  That  her 
one  regret  was  that  death  could  not  come  to  her 
through  burning  at  the  stake  as  it  had  to  many 
other  martyrs.  That  if  she  had  a  thousand  lives 
she  would  gladly  give  them  all  for  her  faith; 
that  she  was  going  to  Heaven  where  she  would 
be  perfectly  happy,  notwithstanding  the  fact  that 
nearly  all  the  people  in  the  world  were  going-  to 
be  lost.  And  that  woman  believed  that  vanity 
had  died  out  of  her  soul  when  she  lost  her  beauty. 

From  an  evolutionary  standpoint  her  whole 
life  had  been  a  failure.  She  had  gained  nothing 
and  had  not  the  satisfaction  of  converting  one 
soul  to  her  faith.  But  she  had  neglected  her 
filial  and  maternal  duties,  also  her  social  and 
civic  duties.    She  had  helped  no  one,  and  her  own 


162  FRAGMENTS  OF  TRUTH 

mental  and  spiritual  development  had  been  nar- 
rowed and  restricted  by  her  vain  belief  that  she 
was  right  and  that  every  one,  who  did  not  agree 
with  her,  was  wrong. 

There  are  the  egotistical  father  and  mother 
who  believe  they  know  best  what  their  children 
should  do,  or  become,  in  the  business  and  social 
world.  Many  ne'er-do-wells  there  are,  who,  be- 
cause of  the  vanity  of  one  or  both  parents,  were 
forced  to  attempt  to  do  the  things  they  were  not 
fitted  to  do,  and,  therefore,  became  failures.  It 
is  a  dangerous  thing  for  a  parent  to  decide,  un- 
equivocally, whether  a  son  shall  become  a  clergy- 
man, or  an  artist.  And  it  is  a  terrible  offence 
against  the  divine  Law  to  force  a  child  to  give 
up  its  ideals,  that  came  with  it  into  this  life,  and 
to  compel  it  to  undertake  a  lifework  for  which 
it  has  no  sympathy. 

The  ideals,  that  a  soul  is  bom  with,  are  the 
unfinished,  mental  creations  of  other  lives,  which 
should  be  worked  out  in  this  life.  Such  ideals 
should  not  be  neglected  but  should  be  brought 
into  material  expression,  as  far  as  it  is  possible 
to  do.  And  no  parent,  or  friend,  should  dare  to 
interfere,  or  discourage  another  soul,  in  working 
out  its  destiny  according  to  its  ideals. 

Parents  should  study  the  tastes  of  their  chil- 
dren; should  win  their  confidences  and  listen  to 
their  aspirations.  They  should  give  them  the 
freedom  of  their  choice  of  a  profession.    Because 


VANITY  163 

the  father  of  a  boy  has  been  a  successful  black- 
smith, he  should  not  force  the  child,  who  loves 
music  and  longs  for  an  opportunity  to  study  it, 
to  spend  his  life  at  the  anvil  and  forge. 

Because  a  mother  has  been  a  society  woman 
and  cares  for  nothing  but  social  functions,  she 
should  not  compel  her  daughter  to  spend  her 
precious  time  in  dressing  and  flirting,  when  she 
hates  such  frivolities  and  longs  to  become  a 
literatus.  It  is  vanity  that  makes  parents  feel 
that  they  always  know  what  is  best  for  their 
children  to  do ;  and  it  is  vanity  that  makes  a  son, 
or  daughter,  dictate  to  his,  or  her,  parents  how, 
or  where,  they  shall  live.  Who  is  there  in  this 
world,  at  this  time,  that  is  wise  enough  to  direct 
another's  life? 

Among  the  most  honorable  titles  that  vanity 
masquerades  under  and  one  that  gives  it  the 
greatest  distinction  is  ** Pride."  Many  persons 
scorn  the  thought  that  vanity  influences  them. 
They  believe  it  is  pride  that  swells  their  heads 
and  hearts  when  they  think  of  their  ancient 
family  names,  ancestral  abodes,  heirlooms  and 
traditions.  The  scornful  superciUousness  with 
which  they  observe  those  who  have  not  genera- 
tions of  noble  (?)  ancestry  behind  them  is  sup- 
posed to  be  pride  and  not  snobbish  vanity. 

Should  the  scion  of  an  old  family  investigate 
the  private  lives  of  his  ancestors,  and  living  rela- 
tives, and  find  no  dishonor,  to  men,  or  women. 


164  FRAGMENTS  OF  TRUTH 

attached  to  any  of  them,  then  the  emotion  he 
feels  for  his  family  name  is  justified  pride.  But, 
even  then  it  may  be  but  an  ephemeral  honor, 
since  one  dishonorable  act  of  any  one,  bearing 
that  name,  would  dishonor  it  and  afterwards  it 
would  be  no  better  than  any  other  name. 

It  has  been  said  that  ** pride  goeth  before  a 
fall."  But  the  Occultist  says,  ^4t  is  vanity  that 
goeth  before  a  falP';  that  pride  is  the  outgrowth 
of  virtue  and  that,  without  virtue,  pride  could 
not  exist.  That  it  is  a  protector  of  virtue  and 
that  it  makes  its  possessor  not  only  avoid  evil 
doing  but  it  also  makes  him  avoid  all  appear- 
ances of  evil  doing. 

It  was  the  absence  of  vanity  in  the  Nazarene's 
soul  and  the  presence  of  pride  in  His  own  integ- 
rity, that  made  Him  say:  "get  thee  behind  me, 
Satan,"  when  His  lower  animal  mind  suggested 
that  He  fall  from  His  exalted  position,  as  teacher 
and  helper  of  humanity,  and  become  an  Emperor 
of  the  material  cities  of  the  world.  In  former 
lives  the  subjective  mind  of  the  Nazarene  had 
transmuted  that  basic  emotion,  vanity  of  per- 
sonality, into  the  gold  of  spiritual  understand- 
ing and  He  had  no  vanity. 

The  emotion  falsely  called  National  Pride,  on 
close  examination,  proves  to  be  National  Vanity 
founded  upon  the  self-reliance  and  self -apprecia- 
tion of  the  individuals  who  compose  that  nation. 
At   the   present    status    of   humanity,    National 


VANITY  165 

Pride  is  an  effervescent  dream  since  there  is  not 
one  nation  upon  earth  that  has  reached  a  point, 
in  its  evolvement,  where  all  the  individuals  who 
compose  it  are  honorahle  with  each  other  and  with 
all  other  peoples. 

It  is  vanity  that  makes  the  head  of  a  nation 
insist  upon  forcing  his  personal  opinions  and 
desires  upon  his  people,  because  he  thinks  he 
knows  what  is  best  for  them.  He  is  a  walking 
vanity  bag  filled  with  political  cosmetics  which  he 
wishes  to  use  to  cover  his  own  political  defects 
and  the  political  defects  of  his  colleagues. 

According  to  the  standard  of  morality  held 
to  by  the  Occultist,  it  must  be  a  New  Nation  born 
in  the  coming  New  Day,  that  will  be  able  to 
justly  claim  a  National  Pride,  since  each  of  the 
nations  of  the  past  and  present  has  been  an  ex- 
ample of,  as  Solomon  said,  **  vanity  and  vexation 
of  spirit." 


CHAPTER  NINE 

DEATH  AND  AFTEE 

** Death  in  itself  is  nothing;  but  we  fear 
To  be,  we  know  not  what,  we  know  not  where. *^ 

Perhaps  the  oldest  question  that  lips  of  man  have 
uttered,  as  he  gazed  at  his  beloved  dead,  was, 
'*  After  death,  whatr' 

This  must  have  been  the  question  that  first 
differentiated  the  thinking  man  from  the  animal 
man,  and  from  the  animal.  It  is  rather  a  sad 
commentary  upon  the  people  of  the  Occident  that 
they,  who  have  been  so  successful,  in  all  the 
realms  of  science,  art  and  literature,  should  still 
be  asking  this  same  question  in  the  twentieth 
century.  For,  death  must  come  to  almost  all, 
since  physical  immortality  is  an  iridescent  dream, 
and  there  are  few  Elijahs. 

The  occidental  nations  feel  a  horror  and  a 
dread  of  death ;  due  chiefly  to  two  reasons.  First, 
because  of  ignorance  concerning  its  nature — for 
their  attention  has  been  directed  more  particu- 
larly toward  the  objective  world,  since  their 
sciences  lie  along  objective  lines,  and  their  quests 
are  for  material  things.  Second,  because  of  the 
surviving  influence  of  mediaeval  Church  theology. 

166 


DEATH  AND  AFTER  167 

The  priests,  from  the  fourth  century  until  the 
Reformation,  were  mainly  ignorant  men.  It  is 
true  they  knew  more  than  the  men  they  taught, 
yet,  no  one  can  truthfully  say  that  the  priesthood, 
as  a  whole,  was  enlightened.  It  used  the  com- 
mon abhorrence  of  death,  for  the  purpose  of 
throwing  into  clear  perspective  what  it  con- 
sidered the  chief  events  in  the  history  of  the 
founder  of  its  religion. 

It  was  not  so  much  the  life  of  the  Nazarene,  or 
His  teachings,  but  it  was  His  death  and  resur- 
rection, which  the  Church  emphasized.  Because 
the  priesthood  thought  their  Master  had  demon- 
strated over  death,  He  was  supposed  to  have 
reached  the  acme  of  power  that  could  be  mani- 
fested in  a  physical  body.  They  sought,  there- 
fore, to  glorify  Him,  as  well  as  to  teach,  alle- 
gorically,  that  because  of  His  victory.  He  could 
save  others  from  physical  and  spiritual  death. 

The  emphasis  of  death  also  strengthened  the 
power  of  the  mediaeval  Church.  If  the  founder 
could  not  only  triumph  over  physical  death,  but 
could  also  save  humanity  from  spiritual  death, 
then  those  who  posed  as  His  vicegerents  upon 
earth,  must  have  the  power,  either  by  petition, 
or  by  direct  authority  from  their  Leader,  to  save 
men  from  the  consequences  of  their  sins. 

It  was  by  working  upon  the  credulous  minds  of 
the  ignorant  masses,  during  mediaeval  times,  that 
death,  which   was  horrible   enough,   was   made 


168  FRAGMENTS  OF  TRUTH 

more  horrible  by  the  gloomy  manner  in  which  it 
was  portrayed. 

There  always  has  been,  there  is  and  there  al- 
ways will  be,  an  enormous  mass  of  evidence  to 
answer  the  question,  ^' After  death,  whatT' 
The  trouble  has  been  that  men  have  not  given 
the  same  degree  of  attention,  of  thought,  of 
study,  or  of  research  in  that  direction  as  they 
would  give  to  taking  a  journey  to  an  unknown 
land.  Before  starting  on  such  a  trip  they  would 
look  up  the  history  of  the  country  they  were  go- 
ing to  visit,  seek  the  advice  of  those  who  were 
acquainted  with  it,  and  attempt  to  gather  all 
possible  information  concerning  it.  But  when  it 
comes  to  the  momentous  question  of  *^  After 
death,  what?"  little  time,  little  close  attention, 
little  systematic  thought  has  been  given  to  the 
subject. 

The  Oriental  Nations,  while  they  have  degen- 
erated along  national  lines,  and  are  backward  in 
the  acceptance  of  modem  science  and  the  mechani- 
cal conveniences  of  modern  life,  yet  they  have 
preserved  their  ancient  traditions  relative  to 
things  subjective,  and,  therefore,  have  the  accu- 
mulated knowledge,  gained  from  the  past,  as 
well  as  the  testimony  of  their  Sages. 

The  Brahmins  and  the  Parsis  tell  us  now,  as 
they  have  said  for  ages,  that,  after  the  physical 
body  is  abandoned,  the  ego  persists  in  another 
state  of  matter— lives  in  a  subjective  world—* 


DEATH  AND  AFTER  169 

and  there  remains  until  it  is  ready,  once  more, 
to  reincarnate  into  earth  life. 

Christianity  is  the  direct  heir  of  Judaism  and 
took  many  of  its  teachings  from  the  Nazarene. 
Those  teachings  were  colored  by  the  theology 
and  the  preconceptions  of  His  Jewish  followers 
who  transmitted,  orally,  to  their  successors  the 
teachings  as  they  understood  them.  But,  on  the 
question  of  death,  later  Christianity  seems  to 
have  completely  ignored  the  traditions  and  the 
doctrines  of  the  Hebrews  and  the  miracles 
ascribed  to  their  prophets. 

At  the  time  of  Jesus  there  were,  in  Palestine, 
three  sects;  the  Essenes,  who  were  the  esoteric 
portion  of  the  Jews,  numbering  about  5,000. 
They  practised  occult  rites  and  had  knowledge  of 
the  existence  and  condition  of  the  ego  after  it 
exc^arnated,  or  left  its  physical  body,  until  it 
returned  again  to  earth. 

The  two  larger  sects  were  the  Pharisees  and 
the  Sadducees;  the  first  believing  in  the  persist- 
ence of  consciousness  after  death,  the  other  be- 
lieving in  annihilation.  And,  notwithstanding 
that  two,  out  of  three,  of  the  great  religious  cults 
of  Judaism  had  this  knowledge,  it  is  surprising 
that  so  little  has  been  preserved  in  the  Christian 
theology  relative  to  the  ego  after  the  death  of 
the  body. 

Besides  the  philosophy  of  the  Essenes  and  the 
theology  of  the  Pharisees,  the  Christians  had  all 


170  FRAGMENTS  OF  TRUTH 

the  history  of  the  Jewish  prophets  to  draw  upon 
and  that  certainly  was  not  silent  as  to  the  post- 
mortem states  of  existence. 

There  were  the  miracles  of  Elijah.  It  will  be 
remembered  that  he  raised  the  widow's  son  from 
death,  which  he  could  not  have  done  unless  he 
had  been  conscious  of  the  existence  of  the  ego, 
in  its  subjective  state.  Elisha  raised  the  son  of 
the  Shunammite  woman  from  the  dead  and  re- 
stored him  to  the  weeping  mother.  Then  there 
was  the  story  of  Saul  and  Samuel.  It  was 
the  custom,  among  certain  of  the  Hebrews,  to 
practice  necromancy,  that  is  to  say,  communi- 
cation with  the  dead.  This  practice  had  proven 
rather  disastrous  to  those  who  had  indulged 
in  it,  and  a  law  had  been  enacted  prohibiting 
it.  And  yet^  Saul,  when  lie  was  doubtful 
about  the  outcome  of  the  battle  he  was  about 
to  engage  in,  went  to  a  medium  and,  through 
her,  called  back  the  soul  of  Samuel  to  ask  what 
would  be  the  outcome  of  the  morrow— violating 
the  very  law  he  had  promulgated.  All  of  which 
shows  that  there  was  a  knowledge  among  the 
Hebrews  of  the  persistence  of  the  soul  after 
it  had  detached  itself  from  the  physical  body; 
and  that,  under  certain  conditions,  it  was  pos- 
sible to  establish  communication  between  the 
living  and  the  so-called  dead. 

The  Buddhists  have  taught  for  twenty-four 
hundred  years,  and  still  teach,  the  same  old  doc- 


DEATH  AND  AFTER  171 

trines  of  the  esotericists — the  oldest  in  the 
world — that  man  enters  earth  life  for  a  brief 
period  of  years,  and  then,  passing,  has  a  sub- 
jective existence  which  lasts  for,  relatively,  the 
same  length  of  time,  or  longer;  after  which  he 
again  returns  to  earth  to  take  up  the  lessons  he 
had  formerly   failed  to  learn. 

The  Chinese  know  that  after  the  passing  of  the 
ego,  from  the  physical  body,  it  persists  for  a 
certain  length  of  time;  and  ancestral  worship 
grew  up  in  consequence  of  this  knowledge.  Con- 
scious communication  is  often  held  among  the 
Chinese  between  the  living  and  the  so-called 
dead,  to  whom  they  offer  food  in  order  that  its 
essences  may  be  absorbed  into  the  permanent 
soul  body  of  the  departed  one. 

The  Greeks  and  Romans  knew  of  the  persist- 
ency of  the  human  soul  after  it  had  left  the 
physical  body,  and,  therefore,  death  had  no  ter- 
rors for  them.  When  the  Greek  mother  and  the 
Greek  wife  said  to  her  beloved  son,  or  husband, 
**Go  forth  and  either  return  with  your  shield, 
or  upon  it,*'  she  had  no  fear  in  her  heart,  for 
she  knew  there  was  an  indestructible  something 
within  that  physical  body,  that  blade,  fire  or  man 
could  not  injure. 

The  Greek  and  Roman  literature  contain  many 
references  to  the  **Land  of  Shades,''  or  to  where 
the  departed  go,  after  the  physical  body  ceases 
to  breathe.     In  the   early  Christian  teachings 


172  FRAGMENTS  OF  TRUTH 

some  scant  knowledge  along  this  line  was  re- 
tained. The  doctrine  was  that  there  existed  a 
hazy,  beatific  place,  called  Heaven,  where  some 
souls  went;  and  there  was  also  a  more  specific 
place  for  the  damned,  and  between  the  two  lay 
Purgatory. 

Yet,  notwithstanding  all  this  mass  of  evidence, 
from  the  past,  death  still  has  its  terror  for  many 
souls.  But  the  occidental,  modern  nations  have 
not  been  without  an  abundance  of  evidence  of 
the  fact  that  the  soul  does  persist  after  the  disso- 
lution of  the  physical  body.  No  matter  what 
people  may  have  lacked  in  theological  training 
along  this  line,  they  know,  by  repeated  experi- 
ences, that  when  many  persons  are  dying,  espe- 
cially in  old  age,  or  after  a  lingering  illness,  they 
claim  to  see,  around  them,  other  members  of  their 
family,  or  friends,  who  have  passed  on  before. 
It  would  be  a  strange  and  an  illogical  explana- 
tion of  this  constantly  occurring  phenomenon  to 
say  it  was  an  hallucination  that  sometimes  comes 
with  physical  dissolution.  Unless  there  is  some 
satisfactory,  scientific  explanation  given  us,  to 
the  contrary,  we  must  accept  this  enormous  mass 
of  evidence. 

Since  the  middle  of  the  nineteenth  century,  a 
little  more  attention  has  been  given  to  this  serious 
matter  by  thinking  people;  and  there  have  been 
communications  established  in  various  ways  with 
intelligences  who  were  supposed  to  be  departed 


DEATH-  AND  AFTER  173 

friends.  There  have  been  so  many  cases  in 
which  these  experiments  have  been  stripped  of 
conscious,  or  of  unconscious,  fraud  that  no  ra- 
tional mind,  who  has  investigated  the  subject,  can 
fail  to  be  convinced  of  the  persistency  of  the  in- 
dividuality after  physical  death,  and  that  com- 
munication can  be  established  between  the  living 
and  the  dead. 

Many  men  who,  at  first,  scoffed  at  the  so-called 
unscientific  methods  and  deductions  of  the  Spirit- 
ualists, inaugurated  what  they  called  Societies 
for  Psychical  Eesearch,  investigated  the  same 
class  of  phenomena  that  the  Spiritualists  had 
previously  done  and  arrived  at  the  same  conclu- 
sions. 

In  Prof.  F.  W.  H.  Myers'  book,  '* Human 
Personality  and  Its  Survival  of  Bodily  Death," 
(1903)  we  have  a  mass  of  sifted  evidence  and 
valuable  data  gathered  during  his  thirty  years 
of  personal  study  and  experience  in  this  field. 
As  Secretary  of  the  Psychical  Research  Society, 
his  opportunity  for  investigation  and  observation 
was  exceptionally  broad  and  favorable. 

There  is  also  a  fair  amount  of  literature,  on 
this  subject,  written  since  1874,  that  would  in- 
terest and  perhaps  enlighten  a  seeker  after  truth, 
who  would  give  the  necessary  time  to  its  perusal. 

Throughout  all  time,  in  the  Occident  as  well  as 
in  the  Orient,  there  is  the  testimony  of  many 
occultists,  clairvoyants  and  mystics  corroborat- 


174  FRAGMENTS  OF  TRUTH 

ing  the  religious  teachings  of  the  world  an  J  recent 
scientific  investigations.  All  mystics  reiterate 
the  same  truth,  namely,  that  there  is  no  death; 
that  so-called  death  is  merely  a  change  of  condi- 
tion, a  shifting  of  the  consciousness  from  the 
objective  plane  to  the  subjective.  For  example: 
Examine  the  writings  of  Swedenborg,  the  mystic, 
who  has  covered  this  ground  quite  thoroughly  by 
tracing  the  ego  to  many  of  the  inner  planes  of 
being.  Again,  the  most  eminent  Spiritualist  of 
them  all,  Andrew  Jackson  Davis,  describes,  in  his 
works,  the  passing  of  the  human  consciousness 
from  plane  to  plane  and  its  persistency,  at  least 
for  a  time. 

It  should  not  be  claimed,  however,  that  because 
the  personality  persists  for  a  time  after  the  dis- 
solution of  the  physical  body,  that  that,  in  itself, 
is  necessarily  a  proof  of  immortality;  because 
there  may  be  subsequent  causes  in  the  post- 
mortem life  of  the  ego,  as  will  be  seen  later,  that 
renders  its  immortality  a  matter  to  be  gained, 
rather  than  to  exist  per  se* 

Birth  and  death,  therefore,  are  but  two  doors, 
the  one  through  which  the  ego  enters  into  objec- 
tive life,  the  other  through  which  it  passes  back 
into  subjective  life  from  which  it  came.  The 
exit  caused  the  ego  no  pain.  It  is  merely  a  nor- 
mal condition  of  shifting  consciousness.  On  this 
point,  at  least,  Occultism  and  medical  science 
happily  agree.     It  is  true  that  in  sickness,  in 


DEATH  AND  AFTER  175 

axjcident,  or  in  many  abnormal  conditions  there 
is  apparent  pain.  There  may  be  contortions  of 
the  physical  body  and  other  ostensible  signs  of 
suffering,  and  yet,  we  have  no  evidence  that  the 
ego,  itself,  suffers  in  the  transition,  any  more 
than  we  have  evidence  that  the  snake  suffers 
pain  when  it  wriggles  for  half  an  hour,  or  longer, 
after  its  head  is  severed.  The  contortions  are 
purely  a  matter  of  reflex,  muscular  action,  and 
death,  itself,  is  painless  in  its  passing,  except 
for  the  fear  it  may  engender  in  the  mind  of  the 
ignorant,  excarnating  man. 

The  experience  of  death  is  natural  and  un- 
avoidable; and,  therefore,  it  is  something  not  to 
be  dreaded.  It  is  like  sleep,  which  is  the  cessa- 
tion of  the  body  from  normal,  physical  action — 
the  withdrawal  of  the  ego  from  the  body.  Dur- 
ing dreamless  sleep,  the  ego  slips  out  of  the 
body  and  stands  beside  it — and  death  is  an  identi- 
cal process.  All  clairvoyants,  all  mystics,  all 
students  of  the  Occult  agree  upon  that  point. 
The  ego  slips  out  of  the  physical  body  precisely 
as  the  locust  slips  from  its  covering,  the  snake 
from  its  skin,  the  butterfly  from  its  chrysalis, 
the  chick  from  its  shell,  all  equally  without  pain. 

In  sleep  the  ego  voluntarily,  leaves  its  body  in 
order  to  rest  it.  While  in  the  body,  each  thought 
of  the  ego  causes  certain  physical  reflexes^;  first 
in  the  brain  and  afterwards  in  other  parts  of  the 
body.     With  each  mental  and  physical  action, 


176  FRAGMENTS  OF  TRUTH 

there  are  emitted  from  tlie  mind  and  body  certain 
atoms.  This  depletion  soon  shows  upon  the 
physical,  causing  more  or  less  exhaustion.  When 
the  ego  temporarily  leaves  its  body,  as  in  sleep, 
the  physical  no  longer  suffers  such  depletion  be- 
cause it  largely  ceases  to  throw  off  atoms  and 
draws  back,  into  itself,  magnetism  from  its  ego. 
In  death  the  ego  is  forced  out  of  its  vehicle  be- 
cause the  vibrations  of  the  body  become  so  low, 
through  some  extrinsic  cause,  that  the  ego  can  no 
longer  control,  or  re-enter,  it.  This  vital  subject 
of  vibration  has  been  dealt  with  in  a  separate 
chapter. 

The  question  logically  arises,  "What  is  it  that 
escapes?    What  is  this  ego  that  is  referred  to!" 

According  to  the  Occult  view,  man  is  mind — a 
composite  entity.  It  is  two  consciousnesses,  the 
subjective  and  the  objective  blended  into  one  sub- 
stance; and  thus  combined,  has  its  own  form. 
The  statement  that  mind  is  substance  is  not  to  be 
understood  as  meaning  that  it  is  of  the  same 
coarse  substance  as  a  table.  There  are  many 
grades  of  matter,  such  as  earth,  water,  air,  and 
ether,  and  yet  they  are  all  substance,  but  the 
mind  of  man  is  of  an  etheric  substance.  (^It  has  , 
been  shown,  by  repeated  experiments,  in  hypno- 
tism, that  one  of  the  consciousnesses  or  minds  of 
man  could  be  made  to  sleep  while  the  other  re- 
mained awake,  thus  demonstrating  that  man's 
mind  is  dual,  and  that  he  is  a  substantial  some- 


DEATH  AND  AFTER  177 

thing.)  In  appearance  man's  mind  is  merely  an 
etheric  counterpart  of  his  body;  therefore  he 
is  as  easily  recognized  when  out  of  his  body  as 
when  in  it,  having  the  same  peculiarities  and 
characteristics. 

There  are  a  great  many  exoteric  and  semi- 
esoteric  teachings,  in  the  Western  World,  at  the 
present  time,  relative  to  a  very  complex,  inner 
man.  Some  schools  of  philosophy  take  the  po- 
sition that  man  is  a  composite  entity  of  four- 
teen different  principles,  while  others  follow  the 
Buddhistic  theory  that  he  is  a  septennate,  or  a 
seven-fold  entity.  The  readers  of  modem  litera- 
ture would  imagine  that  each  of  the  alleged  as- 
pects is  a  separate  entity  and  that  all  are  rolled 
into  one  form.  There  is  no  evidence  for  accept- 
ing any  of  these  views.  When  these  teachings 
were  promulgated,  about  1875,  there  was  no  phi- 
losophy, in  the  Occident,  regarding  the  nature  of 
man,  and  no  knowledge  regarding  his  soul;  it 
was  not  known  whether  the  ego  was  something 
tangible,  or  intangible,  or  whether  it  had  a  form 
or  a  color.  When,  therefore,  it  became  neces- 
sary to  give  the  Western  World  something  of  true 
psychology,  that  is  to  say,  a  knowledge  of  the 
existence  of  the  soul  and  its  constituent  parts  and 
powers,  it  was  presented  according  to  the  semi- 
esoteric  truths  of  the  Orient. 

Those  half  truths  did  a  tremendous  amount  of 
good.    They  helped  students  to  grasp  the  fact 


178  FRAGMENTS  OF  TRUTH 

that  the  real  man  is  an  actuality  and  not  an 
intangible  something;  that  he  is  an  entity  within 
the  physical  body.  And  this  old  thought — to 
some,  **New  Thought'' — is  helpful  if  not  carried 
to  metaphysical  absurdities,  or  accepted  as  the 
final  truth.  It  cannot  be  said  that  the  physical 
body  is  a  septennate,  nor  a  double  septennate,  and 
yet,  there  are  the  fluidic  portions,  the  muscles,  the 
bones,  etc.,  and  these  could  be  separated  into  cer- 
tain divisions  and  again  be  sub-divided.  Thus 
the  aspects  of  the  body  could  be  multiplied  but 
should  not  be  called  elements,  or  principles,  for 
none  of  them  can  exist  in  a  body  without  the 
others.  And  this  is  equally  true  of  the  psychic 
man :  for  the  soul  of  man  is  not  a  bundle  of  con- 
glomerate entities,  or  principles,  consolidated 
into  one,  but  is  of  one  substance,  and  of  one 
form,  with  dual  separable  consciousness.  Saint 
Paul's  division  of  man  is  the  esoteric  fact;  Spirit 
(Subjective  Mind),  Soul  (Objective  Mind),  and 
Body. 
/  No  ego  passes  permanently  out  of  its  physical 
j  body  without  being  greeted  by  some  of  its  friends 
^  on  the  subjective  side,  unless  it  had  such  a  re- 
Ipellent  personality  as  to  have  alienated  all  its 
associates  and  friends. 

Those  who  have  passed  beyond,  know  of  men's 
ignorance  and  dread  of  the  great  change,  and  do 
all  within  their  power  to  make  the  advent  into 
that,  as  yet,  generally  unknown  country,  as  pleas- 


(■ 


DEATH  AND  AFTER  179 

ant  as  possible — as  on  returning  from  a  foreign 
shore,  one  is  met  at  the  ship  by  family  and 
friends. 

With  an  undeveloped  ego,  or  in  sudden  death, 
the  shock  of  the  separation  of  the  metaphysical 
from  the  physical — of  soul  from  body — acts  as  a 
repercussion  upon  the  ego  in  such  a  way  as  to 
daze  it.  It  is  then  like  a  person,  who  has  lived 
for  many  years  in  the  country,  coming  to  the 
metropolis.  He  moves  about  in  a  bewildered 
way ;  everything  is  so  different  from  the  country, 
he  does  not  know  whether  he  is  awake  or  dream- 
ing. This  dazed  condition  of  the  excarnated  ego 
soon  passes  away,  however,  and  it  may  be  safely 
stated,  as  a  general  fact,  except  with  undeveloped 
egos,  that  a  man  is  usually  conscious  at  his  own 
funeral.  But  in  slow  death  or  in  old  age,  or  where 
there  Bas  been  a  long  period  of  illness,  or  in  the 
case  of  a  highly  developed  ego,  the  dissolution  is 
gradual  and  the  soul  passes  consciously  from  its 
physical  body  to  the  subjective  plane. 

And  then,  ''After  death,  what?" 

It  has  been  said  that  there  is  a  silver  cord 
which  connects  the  soul  and  the  body  after  death. 
This  statement  is  substantially  correct  but  re- 
quires amplifications  to  make  it  intelligible.  The 
ego,  when  it  seeks  to  reincarnate,  must,  through 
its  desire  for  a  body,  project  a  part  of  itself, 
through  such  desire,  into  the  mother.  This  pro- 
jected, magnetic  portion  becomes  a  vortex  into 


180  FRAGMENTS  OF  TRUTH 

which  are  drawn  the  physical  particles  from  the 
mother's  blood  to  gradually  build  the  embryonic 
body. 

The  process  of  dissolution  is  on  the  same  gen- 
eral plan.  When  the  ego,  through  death,  aban- 
dons its  vehicle  it  leaves  a  magnetic  portion 
of  itself  within  the  body  which  holds  the  physical 
particles  together.  The  magnetism,  thus  left,  is 
that  which  was  originally  projected  to  form  the 
matrix  of  the  body;  that  portion  which  all 
through  life  was  the  personal  center  of  gravity 
and  held  the  body  together  as  a  composite  mass. 

And  because  this  magnetism  continues,  after 
death,  to  hold  the  body  together,  for  a  time,  the 
ego  is  bound,  by  the  magnetism,  to  its  decompos- 
ing body,  and  this  bond  is  the  '^srlver  cord." 
To  the  eyes  of  a  clairvoyant,  it  appears  as  a 
silvery,  blue  thread,  in  the  developed  man,  and 
hence  its  name. 

Because  of  this  magnetic  attachment,  an  un- 
developed ego  is  unable  to  go  very  far  from  its 
dead  body;  and  even  a  developed  one  is  limited  in 
its  range.  But,  as  the  constant  stretching  of  a 
rubber  band  destroys  its  elasticity,  so  the  strug- 
gle and  desire  of  the  ego,  for  freedom,  destroys 
its  magnetic  matrix  and  in  time  disintegrates  the 
physical  body  and  liberates  the  soul. 

It  is  because  of  the  post-mortem  limitation  of 
locomotion,  that  Occultists  claim  that  cremation 
is  the  proper  mode  of  disposing  of  the  physical 


DEATH  AND  AFTER  181 

body;  for,  by  cremation,  the  magnetism  within 
the  body  is  released  within  an  hour,  and  the  ego 
is  able  to  reabsorb  its  magnetism.  But,  if  the 
ego  has  to  wait  for  years  to  be  released,  it  is  de- 
layed on  its  way  to  rest  in  the  higher,  inner 
planes— providing  it  is  sufficiently  developed  to 
enter  them.  For  this  reason  sometimes  a  strong, 
but  impatient  ego,  during  the  latter  part  of  the 
dissolution  of  its  body,  breaks  its  magnetic  cord 
and  gains  its  liberty,  at  the  price  of  losing  the 
abandoned  magnetism,  and  then  a  long  time  and 
great  effort  are  required  to  recover  the  equiva- 
lent of  its  loss. 

If  nations,  calling  themselves  Christian,  will 
insist  upon  burying  their  dead,  they  assuredly 
should  not  embalm  the  bodies  and  take  the  care 
they  do  to  preserve  them;  but,  on  the  contrary, 
should  use  soft  wood,  or  wicker  caskets  and  thus 
not  retard  Nature  in  her  kindly  work  of  liberat- 
ing souls.  In  course  of  time,  sometimes  months 
and  sometimes  years,  the  tethered  ego  reabsorbs 
most  of  its  magnetism  and  then  can  go  where  it 
wills,  or  where  its  development  carries  it. 

The  liberated  ego — if  developed — finds  itself 
in  a  position  on  the  subjective  side  of  life,  where 
it  is  conscious  of  seven  planes  of  existence.  Be- 
low, lies  the  material  earth,  which  may  be  said 
to  be  the  starting-point.  These  planes  inter- 
penetrate each  other  and  yet  are  separate.  The 
earth  and  the  first  subjective  plane  may  best  be 


182  FRAGMENTS  OF  TRUTH 

illustrated  by  the  crude  figure  of  a  sponge  in  a 
bucket  of  water.  The  water  touching  the  surface 
of  the  sponge — representing  the  astral  world — 
is  separate  and  distinct  from  the  sponge — repre- 
senting the  earth — and  yet,  partially  occupies 
the  same  relative  space  as  the  sponge;  because, 
while  it  is  true,  as  a  law  of  physics,  that  two 
bodies  of  equal  density  cannot  occupy  the  same 
place  at  the  same  time,  yet  it  is  also  true  that 
physical  bodies  of  diferent  densities  can  at  the 
same  time  occupy  the  same  relative  space.  For 
example:  take  seven  different  sizes  of  shot;  first 
fill  a  bottle  with  the  largest,  then  with  smaller 
and  still  smaller  shot  until  you  have  the  seven 
different  grades  all  occupying  that  bottle  at  the 
same  time.  Each  smaller-sized  shot  fits  into  the 
interstices  between  the  next  larger  and  all  oc- 
cupy relatively  the  same  general  space.  Or  to 
return  to  the  first  simile;  there  is  water  within 
the  sponge  and  there  is  air  within  the  water  and 
there  is  ether  within  the  air,  and  yet  they  all 
occupy  the  same  general  space  but  are  of  differ- 
ent density.  So  it  is  in  the  six  inner  worlds  of 
being;  they  are  worlds  within  worlds,  but  are 
of  different  gradations,  each  composed  of  dif- 
ferent forms  of  matter. 

Taking  these  in  regular  order  the  first  is  the 
earth  plane.  The  second  is  the  purgatorial 
plane,  sometimes  called,  by  modern  mystics,  the 
astral  plane.     Then   there   are   two   hells   and 


DEATH  AND  AFTER  183 

three  heavens.  A  brief  sketch  of  these  may 
prove  as  interesting  as  a  guide-book. 

The  purgatorial  world  interpenetrates  the 
outer  crust  of  our  world,  as  the  soul  interpene- 
trates the  body;  and  extends  outward  into  space 
about  a  mile.  It  is  invisible  to  most  people,  but 
is  apparent  to  the  clairvoyant.  In  many  respects 
it  is  similar  to  the  earth  plane,  having  its  moun- 
tains and  its  valleys,  its  uplands  and  lowlands — 
all  as  material  to  the  excarnated  ego  as  were  the 
physical  woodlands  and  the  pasture  during  its 
late  earth  life. 

Here,  as  elsewhere,  the  law  of  gravity  prevails, 
and  consequently  the  egos  are  drawn  to  the  dif- 
ferent strata  of  that  plane,  according  to  their 
vibrations — as  persons  on  earth  live  at  different 
altitudes.  On  each  stratum  there  is  the  oppor- 
tunity for  selection  of  abodes  and  many  egos  are 
attracted  to  those  portions  of  the  astral  plane 
which  interpenetrate  the  material  cities  of  the 
earth  and,  even  in  such  cities,  the  egos  are  again, 
by  their  desires,  drawn  to  those  sections  which 
most  attract  them. 

All  egos,  in  purgatory,  are  not  equally  unde- 
veloped; but,  among  the  least  developed,  are 
those  who  are  but  semi-conscious  on  that  plane. 
They  appear  but  half  awake  and  drift  together 
in  large  crowds.  By  psychic  currents,  with  no 
volition,  they  are  swept  from  one  part  of  that 
plane  to  another,  as  leaves  are  driven  by  the 


184  FRAGMENTS  OF.  TRUTH 

wind.  Interspersed  among  the  egos  are  minds 
of  animals,  each  seeking  their  natural  lairs.  The 
more  developed  egos  on  that  plane  are  conscious 
of  the  physical  plane  as  well  as  of  their  own,  as 
a  man  on  a  cliff  can  see  all  that  occurs  around, 
as  well  as  below  him. 

A  man's  nature  is  not  changed  by  death,  con- 
sequently, thinking  egos,  in  purgatory,  seek,  as 
nearly  as  possible,  to  carry  out,  on  the  astral 
plane,  the  vocations,  or  avocations,  of  their  late 
earth  lives.  The  business  man  still  goes  to  his 
office,  or  store,  each  day  and  tries  to  influence, 
mentally,  those  who  are  conducting  his  business. 
The  broker  and  the  banker  are  generally  at  their 
recent  offices  long  before  their  former  employees 
appear.  The  manual  laborer  can  always,  for  a 
time,  be  found  around  his  former  place  of  em- 
ployment gazing  at  those  who  toil  and  sweat,  and 
frequently  imagines  himself  in  heaven— until 
earthly  desires,  unsatisfied,  break  his  content- 
ment. The  gluttons  are  found  round  kitchens, 
where  they  may,  at  least,  inhale  the  aroma  of 
cooking  food.  The  wine  bibber  and  the  drunkard 
are  attracted  to  saloons  and  public  houses.  The 
late  patrons  of  the  cabaret  frequent  their  fa- 
vorite places  and  still  ignorantly  believe,  that 
they  are  drinking  deeply  of  the  waters  of  life. 
Those  who  lived  for  '*  bread  and  the  circus  '* 
alone,  crowd  the  theatres  and  places  of  amuse- 
ment.   The  music  lover  is  drawn  to  recitals  and 


DEATH  AND  AFTER  185 

concerts,  or  wherever  earthly  music  is  played,  ^r 
sung.  Habitual  actions  are  more  characteristic 
of  that  plane  than  are  original  ones,  consequently 
soul  progression  is  the  exception  rather  than  the 
rule.  Many  egos,  however,  by  reason  of  the 
larger  field  of  observation  thus  afforded,  see 
their  former  follies  and  mistakes  and  resolve  in 
their  next  earth  life  to  avoid  their  repetition. 
But  the  vast  majority  of  the  denizens  of  that 
plane,  after  tiring  of  vicarious  enjoyment,  seek 
once  more  to  incarnate  on  earth  in  order  to 
gratify  their  senses — hence  history,  from  age  to 
age,  records  human-animal  nature  substantially 
the  same. 

This  first  inner  world  is  also  where  the  In- 
dian's ** Happy  Hunting  Ground"  is  located. 
When  he  is  liberated  from  his  physical  body,  he 
naturally  seeks  his  old  habitat  and  goes  to  the 
forest  where  he  finds  the  mental  forms  of  ani- 
mals, as  real  to  him  on  that  plane  as  the 
physical  body  was  to  him  on  this  plane.  This 
astral  plane  is  the  Roman  and  the  Grecian  ^^Land 
of  Shades,''  where  their  departed  went  immedi- 
ately upon  their  demise.  Because  the  physical 
and  purgatorial  planes  are  so  closely  associated 
together,  strong  entities,  dwelling  upon  the  latter, 
are  enabled  to  produce  certain  psychical  phe- 
nomena on  this  plane.  The  majority  of  mankind 
never  go  beyond  this  animal,  or  purgatorial, 
plane,  because  their  desires  are  largely  objective. 


186  FRAGMENTS  OF  TRUTH 

The  law  of  gravity  holds  the  ego  to  that  plane 
of  being  corresponding  to  its  own  rate  of  vibra- 
tion. The  ego  is  something;  and,  being  some- 
thing, it  has  form  and  color,  or  a  rate  of  vibra- 
tion of  its  own.  The  lower  the  rate  of  vibration, 
the  denser  is  the  ego;  the  denser  the  ego,  the 
stronger  is  the  pull  of  gravity  upon  it.  There  is 
not  one  law  for  the  plane  of  physics  and  an- 
other for  metaphysics,  but  the  same  laws  of  na- 
ture operate  on  all  planes.  Therefore,  if  a  man 
is  animal  in  his  nature,  objective  in  his  habit  of 
thought  and  expression,  thinks  Of  material  mat- 
ters only,  if  his  thoughts  are  degraded,  or  de- 
based, he  must  necessarily  lower  his  own  rate  of 
vibration  until  he  is  confined  to  the  world  of  his 
unconscious  selection — until  he  is  drawn  once 
more  by  his  desires  into  physical  life. 

If  a  person  is  a  degenerate,  if  he  is  devolving 
instead  of  evolving,  if  his  specific  gravity  is 
so  low  that  when  he  passes  from  the  physical  he 
cannot  function  upon  the  inner,  first  subjective 
plane,  then  he  is  pulled,  by  the  law  of  gravity, 
into  the  nether  worlds.  The  first  hell  is  that 
subjective  plane  which  interpenetrates  the  physi- 
cal world  at  a  depth  of  about  a  mile  and  then 
descends  inward.  It  fills  some  of  the  enormous 
caverns  within  the  earth  and  the  old  legends  of 
the  Scandinavians,  in  regard  to  it,  are  fairly 
correct  descriptions  of  that  realm.  It  is  dark 
and  miserable  because  it  is  permeated  by  the  de- 


DEATH  AND  AFTER  187 

structive  thoughts  of  men  and  there  is  nothing 
to  enliven  it. 

It  was  not  over  the  portals  of  this  realm,  but 
of  the  succeeding  one,  that  Dante  saw  the  words, 
** Abandon  hope  all  ye  who  enter  here/'  Many- 
egos  who  descend  to  the  first  hell  see,  through 
suffering,  the  folly  of  their  former  lives  and 
strongly  desire  an  opportunity  to  redeem  them- 
selves. Even  there  such  an  aspiration,  if  con- 
tinued, has  its  effect  in  raising  the  vibrations  of 
the  misguided  and  repentant  soul;  and  if  it 
firmly  resolves  to  put  aside  its  old  habits  of  evil 
thought  and  determines  to  rise  to  higher  and 
better  things,  it  can  attract  the  attention  of  some 
*' saviour,"  or  advanced  soul,  who  will  descend 
into  hell  and  help  the  aspiring  ego  to  struggle 
upward  to  the  purgatorial  plane,  where  it  can 
await  an  opportunity  to  reincarnate  for  the  pur- 
pose of  carrying  out  its  resolutions. 

But,  if  an  ego  does  not  so  aspire — and  the 
majority  of  them  do  not— if  it  continues  morose, 
rebellious,  vindictive  and  unrepentant,  its 
thoughts  continue  to  lower  its  vibrations  more 
and  more  until  it  sinks  into  still  deeper  depths, 
into  the  second  hell,  where  destruction  destroys 
itself — for  destructive  thoughts  disintegrate  and 
finally  annihilate  forms. 

But  it  should  never  be  forgotten  that  there  is 
no  angry  God  who  punishes,  there  is  no  vindic- 
tive Being  who  says:   **You  have  broken  my 


188  FRAGMENTS  OF  TRUTH 

laws  and  therefore  you  must  suffer."  But  the 
laws  of  Nature  are  automatic  in  their  action; 
and  each  person  places  himself  within  their  op- 
eration by  his  thoughts  and  acts.  If  a  man 
violates  the  laws  of  hygiene,  or  of  diet,  he  is  not 
punished  by  a  God,  but  automatically  suffers  by 
his  own  acts,  and  so  it  is  in  the  realm  of  morals 
— for  all  ethical  precepts  are  based  on  the  laws 
of  Nature. 

Men  are  like  the  fish  in  the  sea,  or  aquarium: 
some  fish  are  of  denser  rates  of  vibration  and 
therefore  live  deeper  in  the  water;  while  others 
of  a  higher  rate  of  vibration  swim  near  the  sur- 
face. At  enormous  ocean  depths  are  found  forms 
that  die  as  soon  as  they  are  brought  into  the 
upper  waters. 

The  law  of  life  is  this :  man  is  the  creator  of 
his  own  destiny  here  and  hereafter.  A  state- 
ment of  this  kind  is  easy  to  grasp  intellectually 
but  is  hard  to  realize.  All  education  in  the  Occi- 
dent has  been  for  generations  to  the  contrary; 
and  now  it  is  generally  accepted  that  the  **  acci- 
dent of  birth,"  or  the  *' caprice"  of  Deity— not 
man's  own  thoughts  and  acts  in  a  former  life — 
places  him  in  his  natal  environment.  It  is  also 
a  race  belief  that  environment  and  education  de- 
termine man's  earthly  career,  though  every- 
where, particularly  in  America,  there  are  abun- 
dant exceptions  to  this  seeming  rule. 

It  is  true  that  the  life  of  the  drifter,  the  nega- 


DEATH  AND  IfTER  189 

tive  individual  and  the  thoughtless  person,  is 
largely  shaped  by  environment;  but  that  is  be- 
cause they  are  thoughtless,  because  they  have 
not  arrived  at  the  creative  point  of  mental  de- 
velopment. In  the  cases  of  the  many  exceptions 
referred  to — those  who  transcend  environment — 
there  is  abundant  evidence  that  man,  the  thinker, 
is  man  the  creator,  and  that  he  shapes  his  life 
according  to  his  will.  Thus,  both  the  rule  and 
the  exceptions  prove  the  contention  of  the  Oc- 
cultists. 

Nor  is  the  after-death  condition  the  result  of 
chance,  or  of  predestination,  or  of  the  accept- 
ance of  a  particular  creed ;  of  masses  or  of  vicari- 
ous atonement:  but  it  is  the  automatic  result 
of  personal  vibration  produced  by  habitual,  self- 
engendered  thought.  This  is  as  incomprehensible 
to  the  childish  mind,  saturated  with  theology,  as 
was  the  problem  to  the  little  girl  of  how  Jesus 
could  be  a  Jew,  when  His  Father — God— was  a 
Presbyterian,  like  herself. 

There  are  three  Heavens.  Above  the  purga- 
torial realm  there  is  a  finer  form  of  matter;  and 
as  the  ego  is  liberated  from  its  physical  body,  if 
its  thoughts  have  been  pure,  if  its  aspirations 
great,  if  its  life  was  mental  rather  than  purely 
physical,  then,  by  the  law  of  specific  gravity,  it 
rises  to  the  first  of  the  higher,  inner  planes  called 
the  first  Heaven.  That  place,  to  it,  is  physical, 
which  is  to  say,  it  is  as  material  to  the  ego  upon 


190  FEAGMENTS  OF  TRUTH 

that  plane  as  tMs  earth  was  to  it,  while  in  the 
physical  body.  There  it  rests,  amnses  itself  and 
meets  its  friends  and  associates.  It  is  a  beau- 
tiful abode,  the  ** Summer  Land''  of  the  Spirit- 
ualists, if  you  choose;  and  there  the  ego  can 
meditate  upon  the  past  and  plan  for  the  future ; 
or,  if  so  disposed,  may  continue  its  mental  work 
commenced  upon  earth. 

If  the  ego  has  aspired  still  higher,  if  it  has 
advanced  to  a  greater  state  of  knowledge,  if  it 
has  made  its  vibrations  intensely  rapid,  then  it 
is  drawn  to  the  second  Heaven,  transcendant  in 
glory,  where  all  is  harmony  and  the  vibrations 
of  the  place  itself  are  musical.  It  is  a  place  of 
rest  and  not  of  effort,  where  the  choice  souls,  who 
are  the  higher  products  of  evolution,  rest  until 
they  are  willing  to  incarnate  once  more  upon  earth 
for  the  purpose  of  perfecting  themselves,  or  of 
helping  humanity.  There  also  are  those  who 
have  exhausted  all  the  possibilities  of  earthly  ex- 
periences and  now  await  the  opportunity  to  pass 
on  to  the  next,  or  fifth,  planet  of  our  evolutionary 
chain. 

Beyond  the  second  Heaven  is  the  one  which  is 
spoken  of,  in  all  the  Scriptures  of  the  world,  as 
the  highest  Heaven,  the  abode  of  the  Celestials. 
There  it  is  that  the  triumphant  ego  rests  forever 
and  forever.  It  is  the  Nirvana  of  the  East,  it  is 
the  old  orthodox  Heaven  of  the  West.  But,  once 
an  ego  enters  that  realm,  which  it  has  won  by 


DEATH  AND  AFTER  191 

reason  of  its  efforts,  it  never  returns  to  earth. 
There  its  consciousness  gradually  fades  away, 
and  it  becomes  one  with  the  Absolute.  '*The  dew- 
drop  slips  into  the  shining  sea."  Individuality 
and  immortality  are  consciously  surrendered. 

Eeward,  like  punishment,  is  self-earned,  and 
when  once  the  ego  has  developed  to  the  point  of 
intelligent  selection — foreseeing  accurately  the 
full  extent  of  its  decision,  then  it  must  choose 
whether  to  rest  for  a  time  in  the  second  Heaven, 
or  to  enter  the  abode  of  the  Blest— the  highest 
Heaven — and  have  the  door  of  evolution  close 
upon  it  forever. 

There  are  some  egos  who  become  weary  with 
the  struggle  of  evolution  and  prefer  a  few  cen- 
turies of  ecstatic  bliss  to  eons  of  effort;  and 
these,  yielding  to  the  high  vibrations  of  the  ut- 
most Heaven,  finally  respond  to  and  become  a 
part  of  the  Divine  Harmony  until  they,  ''like 
harp  strings  are  broken  asunder  by  music  they 
throb  to  express.''  But  those  who  desire  to 
progress,  those  who  feel  within  themselves  the 
power  to  grow  from  man  to  Saint,  from  Saint 
to  Angel,  from  Angel  to  Archangel,  to  Cherubim 
and  Seraphim7to  Elohim  and  finally  to  Sun  Gods, 
those  are  They  who  take  up  the  Cross  of  Evolu- 
tion upon  other  planets,  forever  mounting  higher 
as  They  grow  in  strength  and  wisdom,  until 
Omnipotence  and  Omniscience  is  reached,  and 
They  become  a  part  of  the  Celestial  Hierarchy. 


CHAPTER  TEN 

EECIPROCITY 

When  the  Nazarene  said;  **With  what  measure  ye 
mete  it  shall  be  measured  to  you  again,"  He  was 
giving,  to  His  disciples,  a  lesson  in  the  operation 
of  the  Law  of  Reciprocity;  which  is  but  one  of 
the  many  aspects  of  Cause  and  Effect.  And, 
while  it  is  true  that  this  great  Law  has  been  in 
operation  since  time  began,  its  power  and  execu- 
tion have  been  known  to  but  a  comparatively  few 
individuals  on  this  earth. 

All  the  great  Avatars  have  taught,  to  their  im- 
mediate pupils,  or  followers,  something  about  the 
operation  of  this  Law;  and  its  various  aspects 
have  been  called  by  various  names  at  different 
times.  Some  of  these  aspects  have  been  dimly 
perceived  and  partially  understood,  by  certain  in- 
dividuals who  were  mentally  and  spiritually  de- 
veloped in  advance  of  their  fellows;  but  that  it 
has  never  been  fully  accepted  and  applied  to  the 
lives  of  men  and  women,  in  everyday  life,  is  shown 
by  the  sad  experiences  and  the  suffering  of  man- 
kind today. 

Looking  backward  upon  the  human  race  as  far 
as  Occult  history  shows,  it  is  seen  that,  since  man 
was  man.  Cause  and  Effect  have  been  operating, 

192 


RECIPROCITY  193 

with  him  and  with  all  other  created  things;  and 
yet,  for  thousands  of  years  man  knew  no  more 
about  that  great  Law,  than  he  knew  about  the 
electrical  currents  that  surrounded  him,  and  which 
produced  the  wonderful  phenomena  at  which  he 
marvelled,  and  of  which  he  was  afraid.  And,  when 
ages  had  passed  and  men  began  to  understand 
something  about  some  of  the  aspects  of  this  Law, 
their  first  thoughts  were  to  protect  themselves 
against  its  operation  by  finding  a  way  to  escape 
from  it.  And  the  various  and  varied  excuses  men 
have  made  for  themselves,  and  the  childish  de- 
ceptions they  have  practised  to  enable  them  to  do 
as  they  desired  and  escape  from  the  consequences 
of  their  doings,  would  be  pathetic  if  they  were  not 
so  funny. 

The  Scripture  says :  **  And  God  created  man  out 
of  the  dust  of  the  ground  and  in  His  own  image ; 
in  the  image  of  God  created  He  him;  male  and 
female  created  He  them.'' 

The  Occultist  would  add:  When  the  Gods 
created  the  subjective  minds  of  men  out  of  the 
Cosmic  Currents — ^which  were  as  negative  to  Them 
as  is  the  dust  of  the  ground  to  man — and  when 
the  Gods  had  individualized  men  into  shapes  some- 
thing like  their  own,  the  only  resemblance  men 
bore  to  their  Creators  were  their  figures,  since  all 
were  ovoids,  and  there  the  likenesses  ended. 

The  creation  of  the  Sons  of  God,  or  subjective 
minds  of  men,  was  a  volitional  act  of  the  Gods, 


194  FEAGMENTS  OF  TRUTH 

as  is  now  the  production  of  the  human  bodies  of 
children  a  volitional  act  of  men ;  and  the  Sons  of 
God  then,  knew  no  more  about  their  origin,  or  of 
their  relationship  to  the  Universe,  than  the  new- 
born infant  of  today  knows  about  its  parents, 
or  of  its  environment. 

In  its  beginning,  a  Son  of  God  was  what  it  was 
from  no  volition  of  its  own.  It  was  created  be- 
cause the  Universal  Consciousness  desired  to  ex- 
press Itself  in  forms.  But  now,  after  all  the  ages 
have  passed,  a  Son  of  God  is  what  he  is,  and  where 
he  is,  because  of  his  experiences  in  previous  phys- 
ical forms  of  expression;  what  he  will  do  and 
be,  depends  entirely  upon  his  desires  and  his 
acts. 

When  the  Sons  of  God  were  first  created  they 
were  imbued  with  but  one  desire  and  that  was  to 
exist.  To  exist  and  to  continue  to  exist,  was  their 
first  and  original  incentive — and  this  was  God- 
given.  The  desire  to  exist  was  and  is,  to  a  Son 
of  God  what  the  mainspring  is  to  a  timepiece.  It 
keeps  him  going. 

The  Scripture  says :  ^^  And  the  Lord  God  formed 
man  of  the  dust  of  the  ground  and  breathed  into 
his  nostrils  the  breath  of  life  and  man  became  a 
living  soul." 

The  Occultist  says :  When  the  Gods  created  the 
subjective  minds  of  men  the  process  of  creation 
was  different  from  that  of  the  creation  of  the 
animal  minds  and  bodies — a  description  of  which 


EECIPROCITY  195 

Has  been  given  in  another  Chapter ;  that  the  Gods 
moulded  their  Sons  out  of  the  manifesting  par- 
ticles of  the  Universal  Consciousness  and  each 
Creative  God  used,  of  His  own  magnetic  force,  a 
sufficient  amount  to  hold  those  manifesting 
particles  together  in  the  forms  that  He  had 
created. 

In  the  Scriptures  the  magnetic  force,  implanted 
within  those  ovoid  forms,  was  referred  to  as  the 
** breath  of  life,"  and  by  some  writers,  has  been 
described  as  **the  waters  of  life."  But  to  the 
Occultist,  it  is  known  as  a  magnetic,  God-given 
force  to  subjective  man  or  mind,  on  the  morning 
of  his  creation.  And  so  it  was  that  men  became 
the  Sons  of  the  God  who  gave  of  His  own  life  force 
to  each  Son  that  He  created. 

To  exist,  or  to  be,  was  and  is  man's  paramount 
desire,  since  all  his  other  desires  are  subservient 
to  it,  and  have  been  acquired  since  he  came  upon 
this  earth  to  live.  The  second  desire  man  ac- 
quired, after  he  was  given,  for  his  abiding  place, 
the  freedom  of  this  world,  was  to  possess  material 
things.  He  thought  he  saw  an  advantage  to  be 
gained,  by  acquiring  individual  possessions ;  and, 
having  forgotten  any  knowledge  he  may  have  had 
of  mental,  or  of  spiritual  qualities,  his  next  strong- 
est desire  was  to  gain  material  wealth. 

Through  the  gratification  of  his  desire  to  ac- 
quire, without  reciprocating,  a  great  selfishness 
was  born  in  man  and  soon  he  degenerated,  from  an 


196  FRAGMENTS  OF  TRUTH 

innocent,  negative,  trusting  individual  into  a  con- 
scienceless robber  of  otber  men;  and  then  the  Law 
of  Cause  and  Effect  began  to  operate  more  force- 
fully with  him. 

To  his  surprise,  he  found  that  when  he  had 
robbed  and  beaten  other  men,  less  powerful  than 
himself,  some  one  took  from  him  the  things  he 
had  acquired;  and  that  others  did  to  him  as  he 
had  done  to  others.  And,  after  thousands  of  years 
had  passed,  and  man  had  become  a  self-supporting 
individual,  he  came  to  understand  that  there  was 
also  an  invisible  power  that  could  rob  and  destroy 
him.  When,  in  the  darkness  of  the  night,  he  felt 
the  earth  trembling  and  quaking  beneath  him,  or 
when  he  found  himself  powerless  to  save  his  pos- 
sessions from  destruction  by  floods,  or  cyclones,  at 
first  he  was  bewildered  and  confused  and  then,  a 
great  fear  was  bom  to  him. 

That  there  was  an  invisible  power  greater  than 
himself  man  was  forced  to  realize  and  to  protect 
himself  against  that  power,  and  continue  with  his 
transgressions,  became  his  third  desire. 

Because  primitive  men  were  more  evil  than 
good,  to  destroy  gave  them  more  pleasure  than  to 
construct ;  and  when  the  Law  of  Cause  and  Effect 
began  operating  forcefully,  with  them,  its  destruc- 
tive aspect  predominated  in  its  operations  until, 
like  hunted  animals,  men  fled  before,  and  tried 
to  hide  from,  its  tremendous  power.  And  when 
men  found  that  the  same  terrific,  invisible  force 


RECIPROCITY  197 

followed  and  punished  them,  in  spite  of  all  their 
efforts  to  escape,  they  began  making  plans  to 
either  cheat,  or  propitiate  it. 

They  knew  how  to  cheat  each  other,  and  they 
also  knew  that  when  they  could  not  cheat  they 
could  sometimes  propitiate,  by  dividing  their  ill- 
gotten  gains  with  another;  and  so  they  reasoned 
that  whatever  destroyed  man  and  his  possessions 
was  his  enemy  and  must  be  fought,  or  bargained 
with;  and,  since  it  was  impossible  to  fight  an  in- 
visible power,  it  must  be  propitiated.  And  thus 
it  was,  with  the  hope  of  making  his  escape  from 
suffering  the  consequences  of  his  acts,  that  prim- 
itive man  conceived  the  plan  of  making  sacrifices 
to  God. 

It  was  not  because  they  loved  the  destructive 
force,  which  they  called  God,  that  made  men  hold 
their  sacrificial  carnivals ;  and  it  was  not  because 
of  their  love  for  that  invisible  power  that  made 
them  sing  flattering  praises  and  shout  deceitful 
hosannas  and  hallelujahs  to  God;  but  it  was  the 
fear  of  taking  the  consequences  of  their  acts  that 
actuated  them  in  all  their  so-called  religious  cere- 
monies. 

It  was  black  fear,  and  not  perfect  love,  that  first 
made  men  build  tabernacles  and  temples  and  hire 
priests  to  help  with  the  mockeries  and  lies  that  for 
centuries  were  called  religious  worship.  And  it  is 
the  same  spirit  of  fear  and  unhonesty  bequeathed 
to  their  posterity  that  make  men  of  the  present  day 


198  FRAGMENTS  OF  TRUTH 

contimie  with  the  pomp  and  display  and  all  tHe 
artificial  ceremonies  of  the  Churches. 

What  may  have  sometime  been  unhonest  in  the 
ancestral  mode  of  worship,  has  now  become  ac- 
tually dishonest  at  the  present  day ;  and  it  is  upon 
this  rock  of  dishonesty  that  the  ships  of  Church 
and  State  are  foundering.  Individually,  most  men 
began  to  learn  their  first  lessons  in  religious  dis- 
honesty when  they  knelt  at  their  mothers'  knee 
and,  folding  their  baby  hands  and  bowing  their 
little  heads,  were  taught  to  say:  **0  God,  please 
save  me  from  the  sins  I  have  committed  today, 
and  this  I  ask  for  Jesus'  sake." 

Fully  and  honestly  interpreted,  that  request,  or 
prayer,  meant  in  the  baby's  mind  and  also  to  the 
mother  who  had  taught  it  to  the  child :  *  ^  0  God, 
please  remove  all  the  unpleasant  consequences  of 
my  bad  behavior  today,  and  let  me  escape  from 
the  punishment  that  I  deserve;  and  please  let 
Jesus,  my  older  brother,  bear  the  disgrace  and 
shame — ^if  there  are  any — which  I  have  earned  and 
which  really  belong  to  me.  And  this  I  ask  because 
I  am  too  selfish  to  take  the  consequences  of  my 
own  bad  behavior." 

Or,  if  the  child  said  the  little  prayer  so  familiar 
to  every  one:  **Now  I  lay  me  down  to  sleep; 
I  pray  the  Lord  my  soul  to  keep ;  If  I  should  die 
before  I  wake,  I  pray  the  Lord  my  soul  to  take." 
In  its  heart  the  child  meant  when  it  said  that 
mantram:  **Now  I  am  going  to  sleep  and  shall  be 


RECIPROCITY  199 

unable  to  take  care  of  myself.  If  I  should  not 
waken  again  in  this  world  I  wish  to  escape  the 
place  prepared  for  bad  children  and  I  want  to  go 
to  Heaven  where,  regardless  of  my  sins,  I  can  stay 
forever  and  forever  with  God  and  His  holy 
Angels.'' 

And  somehow  the  child  and  its  mother  believed 
that  its  dishonesty  would  not  be  discovered  by 
Deity ;  and  that  it  might  not  get  what  it  deserved, 
and  the  prayer  would  be  granted. 

And  so  it  was  that  children  began  each  in- 
carnation with  an  unhonest  attempt  to  get  what, 
by  actual  right,  was  not  theirs ;  and  to  try  to  de- 
ceive God,  was  one  of  the  first  lessons  .they 
learned. 

Think  of  how  much  needless  suffering  mankind 
has  had  to  endure  because  of  the  fallacies  that 
have  been,  and  are  being,  taught  by  the  Churches. 
What  different  lives  men  and  women  would  have 
lived  had  they  been  told  the  truth  by  their  priests. 
How  much  further  on,  in  their  evolvement,  men 
would  now  be  if  they  had  not  been  lulled  into  a 
false  security  by  their  so-called  religious  leaders. 
And  is  it  anything  to  wonder  at,  for  those  individ- 
uals who  have  begun  to  think  independently 
for  themselves,  that  those  great  edifices  called 
Churches  and  Cathedrals,  are  being  destroyed — 
with  their  baptismal  fonts  and  their  glittering, 
jewel  bedecked  altars,  their  wonderful  paintings 
of  imaginary  Saints  and  Madonnas? 


200  FRAGMENTS  OF  TRUTH 

Is  it  not  true  that  they  were  all  built  upon  false 
foundations  and  that  every  cornerstone  was  laid 
in  deception?  And  is  it  not  a  fact  that  the  priests, 
who  promise  a  protection  they  know  they  have  not 
the  power  to  give,  are  deceiving  the  people  who 
contribute  to  their  support  and  to  the  building  of 
those  huge  monuments  of  deception? 

It  has  been  almost  two  thousand  years  since  the 
first  religious  society  was  organized  in  the  great 
evolutionary  cycle  that  is  now  coming  to  a  close. 
It  has  been  more  than  fifteen  hundred  years  since 
the  Nicene  Council  assorted  and  arranged,  accord- 
ing to  the  liking  of  the  few  bigoted,  dishonest  men 
that  composed  that  Council,  the  so-called  religious 
records  of  that  time.  Because  the  publication  of 
some  of  those  records  would  have  made  it  impos- 
sible for  the  Pope,  the  Bishops  and  the  priests  to 
conceal  the  truths  contained  in  them,  that  Council 
of  dishonest  men  destroyed  what  they  did  not  wish 
the  people  to  know ;  and  they  also  eliminated  from 
many  of  the  manuscripts,  which  they  did  compile, 
such  excerpts  as  did  not  agree  with  their  plans 
for  the  **New  Church  of  Christianity.'' 

And  they  not  only  eliminated  but  they  inter- 
polated many  things  which  were  not  in  the  original 
text.  And  thus  they  gave  to  the  world,  for  its 
religious  guide,  a  book  with  falsified  records  and 
ecclesiastical  errors.  And  so  it  was  that  for 
fifteen  hundred  years  Churchianity,  instead  of 
Christianity,  has  been  fed  to  the  world  and  men 


RECIPROCITY  201 

have  been  taught  to  believe  that  it  was  through 
the  auspices  of  a  Church,  or  of  a  priest,  they  could 
escape  the  consequences  of  their  acts. 

But  now  the  earth  is  coming  into  another  and 
a  more  rarefied  atmosphere  in  the  heavens.  And 
there  will  be  as  great  a  difference  between  the  old 
and  the  new  astral  influences  surrounding  the 
earth  as  there  is  between  a  day  overshadowed  by  a 
leaden  sky  and  one  brightened  by  glorious  sun- 
light. 

Under  this  higher,  more  rarefied  astral  influence 
all  old  forms  of  religious  worship  and  dishonest 
affairs  of  State,  which  have  deceived  and  op- 
pressed mankind,  will  be  swept  away  until,  as  the 
Nazarene  said  to  His  disciples,  **  Verily  I  say  unto 
you,  there  shall  not  be  left  one  stone  upon  another 
that  shall  not  be  thrown  down." 

And  when  His  disciples  asked  Him  to  explain 
His  assertions,  He  said:  *^Take  heed  that  no  man 
deceive  you.  For  many  shall  come  in  my  name  and 
shall  deceive  many ;  and  ye  shall  hear  of  wars  and 
of  rumors  of  wars;  but  see  that  ye  are  not 
troubled  for  all  these  things  must  come  to  pass, 
but  the  end  is  not  yet.  For  nation  shall  rise 
against  nation  and  kingdom  against  kingdom  and 
there,  shall  be  famines  and  pestilences  and  earth- 
quakes in  divers  places.  All  these  are  but  the 
beginning  of  sorrows. 

*'And  there  shall  be  many  offended  and  shall 
betray  one  another,  and  many  false  prophets  shall 


202  FRAGMENTS  OF  TRUTH 

arise  and  deceive  many.  And  because  iniquity 
shall  abound,  the  love  of  many  shall  wax  cold. 
But,  he  that  endureth  to  the  end,  the  same  shall  be 
saved." 

And  here  again  did  the  Nazarene  teach  His  dis- 
ciples how  effect  would  follow  the  causes  that 
would  be  set  into  motion  during  this  cycle,  which 
was  then  only  in  its  beginning.  And  shall  men  and 
women  of  today  close  their  eyes  and  go  stupidly 
blundering  on  in  the  footsteps  of  their  forebears, 
hoping  and  believing,  as  they  did,  that  they  will 
escape  the  consequences  of  their  acts  ? 

Or,  will  they  come  to  a  realization  of  the  fact 
that  in  the  coming  New  Day  no  man  can  get  what 
he  has  not  earned,  and  that  he  cannot  earn  what 
he  will  not  get? 

In  man's  desire  to  possess  the  things  that  were 
not  his  he  has  brought  himself  into  the  present 
chaotic  condition  from  which  he  must  extricate 
himself. 

The  next  great  struggle  for  which  mankind  must 
prepare,  will  be  for  an  adjustment  of  business  rela- 
tions between  the  serving  class  and  the  employers. 
National  wars  will  soon  be  ended,  for  the  re- 
mainder of  the  time  men  will  live  upon  this  planet ; 
and  all  bitterness  between  men  must  be  eliminated 
before  future  spiritual  progress  can  be  made. 

Reciprocity  must  be  the  law  by  which  all  wrongs 
and  misunderstandings  will  be  adjusted  and  the 
so-called  upper  classes  who  have  not  shown  a  spirit 


RECIPROCITY  203 

of  reciprocity,  toward  those  who  served  them, 
must  learn  the  lesson  that  they  can  no  longer  get 
something  for  nothing  but  must  pay,  in  full,  the 
value  of  what  they  receive. 

And  the  laborer  must  learn  that  he  must  give 
full  value  in  service  for  the  remuneration  he  asks. 
For  the  time  is  here,  now,  when  men  have  arrived 
at  a  point  in  their  evolvement  where  justice  must 
be  done  and  all  old  wrongs  must  be  righted  before 
the  earth,  with  its  load  of  struggling,  suffering 
humanity,  can  pass  out  of  this  old  cycle  and  enter 
the  new  one.  There  will  be  a  house-cleaning  time 
for  old  Mother  Earth,  and  she  is  going  to  leave 
behind  her,  in  space,  all  the  old  mental  and  phys- 
ical dust  and  debris  that  have  been  accumulating 
upon  her  during  the  past  ages. 

In  the  New  Day,  justice,  truth  and  honesty  will 
be  the  ruling  principles  which  will  govern  men  and 
women.  Greed  and  lust  for  possessions,  or  for 
aggrandizement,  will  be  unknown. 

This  Arcadian  condition  of  society  will  continue 
upon  this  earth  for  many  years,  but  only  those 
whose  lives  are  governed  by  the  Law  of  Reciproc- 
ity will  live  to  enjoy  the  new  conditions.  In  the 
new  era  commercial  paper  will  not  be  circulated 
among  people,  in  the  place  of  money.  No  one  will 
live  upon  future  prospects  that  may  never  be 
realized. 

In  those  days  there  will  be  no  transactions  of 
high  finance;  and  the  true  standing  of  each  in- 


204  FEAGMENTS  OF  TRUTH 

dividual  will  be  known  as  what  he  has  earned  and 
actually  possesses.  Gold  and  silver  will  be  the 
medium  of  trade,  and,  should  there  be  banknotes 
left  they  will  be  recognized  as  relics  of  a  dishonest, 
degenerate  age. 

The  faro  wheels,  the  dice  boxes  and  all  the  in- 
struments now  used  in  games  of  chance  will  then 
be  looked  upon  with  wonderment,  forgotten  by 
those  who  suffered  from  their  uses  in  this  un- 
developed age.  In  that  wonderful  New  Day  the 
printing  presses  will  print  the  truth  and  there  will 
be  no  subsidized  press,  or  privileged  class,  to  ex- 
ploit an  unprivileged  class.  Speculation  will  not 
then  be  known  and  should  an  individual  misrepre- 
sent the  value  of  a  thing  he  sells  he  will  become 
an  outcast  from  society. 

Governments  will  own  the  banks,  and  all  the 
public  utilities,  and  will  administer  public  affairs 
without  prejudice,  or  preferment ;  and  reciprocity 
among  all  the  people  will  be  the  accepted  law 
governing  all  functions  and  transactions. 


CHAPTEE  ELEVEN 

THE    SPIRITUAL.    RENAISSANCE    OF    THE    NINETEENTH 
CENTURY 

There  were  less  than  two  hundred  years  left  to 
the  Piscine  Age  when  the  nineteenth  century 
commenced.  And,  according  to  historical  prec- 
edents, in  other  cycles,  the  religion  of  the  world 
was  decadent  at  such  a  time.  The  Hindoo  gods 
were  dead.  Allah  and  Mohammed  were  so  de- 
crepit that  even  a  ^^holy  war"  could  not  be  con- 
jured in  their  names.  Jehovah  had  lost,  through 
heterodoxy  and  atheism,  most  of  His  followers  and 
was  tolerated  by  the  faithful,  only,  when  He  did 
not  interfere  with  business.  Christianity  was 
merely  formal  and  had  disintegrated  into  almost 
as  many  sects  as  there  were  days  in  the  year.  Its 
Trinity  of  Gods  were  moribund,  and  were  scarcely 
ever  mentioned  in  polite  society,  politics,  or  on 
the  stage.  The  Holy  Ghost  had  almost  faded  into 
the  circumambient  atmosphere  from  whence  It 
came.  The  Father  had  not  been  deprived  of  His 
*' Great  White  Throne"  in  space,  but  was  not  per- 
mitted, in  any  way,  to  interfere  with  the  affairs  of 
the  World,  or  with  the  plans  of  His  children. 

The  Son  had  a  formal  following  who,  for  a  few 
hours  each  week,  paid,  with  flattery,  the  obligation 

205 


206  FRAGMENTS  OF  TRUTH 

they  were  supposed  to  owe  Him  by  reason  of  His 
alleged  sacrifice.  All  the  foregoing  conditions  ap- 
plied to  the  general  mass  of  men;  but  it  is  true 
that  each  of  the  religions  had  a  few  followers  who 
were  trying  to  grasp  the  spiritual  significance  of 
their  respective  faiths  and  to  live  the  life.  It  is 
also  true  that  each  of  the  religious  beliefs  had  some 
fanatical  adherents  of  their  theology  and  mythol- 
ogy, who  were  willing  to  die  for  their  faith,  but  not 
to  live  it. 

During  the  closing  days  of  each  Zodiacal  Cycle, 
or  at  the  commencement  of  a  new  one,  some  great 
religious  Teacher  comes  to  the  world  to  awaken 
spirituality ;  and  in  each  Century  of  the  Cycle  the 
movement  is  continued  by  lesser  Occultists.  At 
the  close  of  one  Solar  Cycle,  or  in  the  beginning 
of  another,  some  great  Messiah,  Saviour,  or 
Avatar,  descends  to  Earth  and  incarnates  to  give 
a  religious  impetus  to  the  New  Age.  And,  at  this 
juncture  of  history,  it  happens  that  a  Solar  and 
a  Zodiacal  cycle  are  jointly  closing,  as  was  fore- 
told by  the  Nazarene  Occultist,  at  the  beginning  of 
this  Piscine  Period,  when,  at  the  importunity  of 
His  disciples,  he  described  *Hhe  consummation  of 
the  Age." 

Because  of  the  materialism  of  the  nineteenth 
century,  a  superhuman  effort  had  to  be  made  to 
awaken  any  spirituality.  The  Occultists  were,  of 
themselves,  unable  to  cope  with  the  situation,  and 
a  Master  of  Occultism,  therefore,  had  to  initiate 


SPIRITUAL  RENAISSANCE  207 

the  work;  and  once  more  the  world  was  blessed 
with  the  physical  presence  of  a  God,  who  incar- 
nated in  the  nineteenth  century  instead  of  at  the 
beginning  pf  the  Aquarian  Age. 

It  is  not  altogether  complimentary  to  the  in- 
tuition of  many  students  of  religion,  that  they 
were  unable  to  recognize  that  Avatar,  nor  the 
scope  of  His  work,  and  that  they  are  still  looking 
forward  for  a  Messiah  to  come  in  the  next  century. 
History  strangely  repeats  itself.  Two  thousand 
years  ago  the  human  race  was  looking  for  a 
Messiah-King  and  failed  to  recognize  the  Messiah- 
Teacher.  The  few  of  this  age,  who  are  interested 
in  the  subject,  are  looking  for  a  Messiah-Teacher, 
and  fail  to  realize  the  Messianic  Message  and 
Movement. 

The  Aquarian  Teacher,  who  hastened  His  com- 
ing to  the  nineteenth  century,  did  not  intend, 
through  His  personality  and  powers,  to  impress 
the  masses  and  to  be  worshipped  by  them.  His 
purpose  was  not  to  start  a  new  religion — since  the 
world  was  already  afflicted  by  too  many;  but  his 
object  was  to  destroy  all  old  religious  forms  in 
order  that  the  spirit  of  each,  ** which  giveth  light,'' 
might  shine  forth  once  again  as  a  unified  eso- 
tericism. 

By  reason  of  His  effort,  all  old  religious  forms 
are  disintegrating  and,  in  a  short  time,  will  have 
passed  away.  For  the  first  thousand  years  of  the 
Aquarian  Age  there  will  be  no  temples  and  no 


208  FRAGMENTS  OF  TRUTH 

priests;  but  each  man  will  find  his  own  way  to 
God,  through  self-discipline  and  by  the  study  of 
ancient  but  perennial  truths.  After  that  time,  pos- 
sibly, history  may  repeat  itself  and  the  greed  and 
ambition  of  a  few,  combined  with  the  intellectual 
laziness  and  indifference  of  the  many,  may  again 
create  a  priesthood  and  a  new  mythology. 

The  Aquarian  Teacher  worked  through  various 
channels,  and  planted  the  seed  in  many  soils. 
Some  of  His  activities  may  be  discussed  but  others 
must  remain  undisclosed,  until  revealed  by  the 
blossom  and  the  fruit,  in  the  fulness  of  time.  His 
aids  were  the  same,  in  the  main,  as  were  used  in 
all  previous  periods — students  of  Occultism.  Some 
were  conscious  aids,  while  others  were  only 
partially  conscious  ones ;  and  still  others  were  un- 
conscious assistants.  His  work  commenced  about 
the  middle  of  the  nineteenth  century  and  He  laid 
down  His  body  Sunday  June  24,  1900.  By  this 
it  is  not  meant  that  He  ceased,  at  that  time,  to 
work  for  humanity,  because  His  efforts  continued, 
on  the  inner  planes  of  being,  for  a  number  of 
years  thereafter,  and  will  be  continued,  with  the 
more  progressive  of  the  race,  for  some  time  to 
come. 

Nothing  that  has  been  said  in  reference  to  this 
great  Soul  must  be  taken  as  implying,  in  any  way, 
that  the  Nazarene  Teacher  will  not  fulfil  His 
promise  and  return  at  the  close  of  this  Cycle. 
Having  given  His  unqualified  promise,  He  will 


SPIRITUAL  RENAISSANCE         209 

necessarily  keep  it.  But,  while  He  will  come,  in 
the  last  days  of  this  fast  closing  Age,  in  individual 
power  and  great  glory,  it  does  not  mean  that  He 
will  come  in  the  manner  selected  by  many  of  His 
ardent  but  mistaken  followers.  Nor  will  He  come 
to  judge  the  living  and  the  dead;  that  being  the 
respective  duties  of  two  of  the  Planetary  Spirits — 
the  Gods  of  Compensation.  But  the  Nazarene  will 
appear  to  those  who  have  understood  His  teach- 
ings and  have  kept  the  faith. 

In  the  middle  of  the  nineteenth  century  atheism 
and  agnosticism  were  characteristics  of  the  edu- 
cated class ;  and  scepticism,  which  could  not  recon- 
cile the  precepts  and  the  practices  of  their  supe- 
riors, was  characteristic  of  the  serving  class. 
Spiritism  was  commencing  its  recrudescence  with 
the  psychic  manifestations  of  the  Fox  sisters.  It 
was  apparent  to  all  Occultists,  who  had  conferred 
with  the  Great  Teacher,  that  enormous  possibil- 
ities lay  within  the  new  phenomena;  and  some 
Occultists  volunteered  to  stand  behind  that  move- 
ment and  to  perform  some  of  the  astounding  mani- 
festations wh:3h  later  attracted  the  curiosity  of 
the  world. 

It  was  uphill  work  for  the  volunteers,  and  not 
at  all  pleasant,  because  of  the  character  of  many 
of  the  mediums  who  had  to  be  utilized.  But,  in  all 
previous  history,  phenomena  had  first  awakened 
the  curiosity  of  some  men  and  later  had  engaged 
their  interest  or  intelligence.    It  was  not  a  time 


210  FRAGMENTS  OF  TRUTH 

to  consider  the  character  of  tlie  means  to  be  em- 
ployed, so  much  as  to  use  any  and  all  available 
means,  since  the  spiritual  existence  of  humanity 
was  at  stake. 

At  first,  the  materialists  denied  the  existence  of 
the  phenomena,  but  when  they  had  grown  to  such 
momentous  proportions  as  to  quell  denial,  then 
the  materialists  contended  that  the  phenomena 
were  produced  by  fraud — and,  for  a  time,  the  world 
accepted  this  explanation.  Churchianity  both  ridi- 
culed and  anathematized  the  movement,  because  it 
threatened  the  existence  of  the  Church,  for,  if  it 
could  be  established  that,  after  death,  good  and 
bad  men  existed,  in  astral  forms  within  the  photo- 
sphere of  the  world,  then  what  became  of  Heaven 
and  Hell  and  the  doctrine  of  the  Atonement? 

"Without  these  basic,  theological  doctrines  the 
Church  could  not  exist.  But,  love  was  stronger 
than  dogma  and  many  brave  men  and  women  per- 
sisted in  investigating  Spiritism,  and  the  number 
of  investigators  increased  until,  finally.  Spiritual- 
istic Societies  were  established  throughout  the 
civilized  world.  Later  some  scientists,  who  were 
not  imbued  with  crass  materialism  of  the  dominant 
German  school,  undertook  to  investigate  Spiritism. 

During  the  second  decade  of  the  nineteenth 
century,  science  began  to  attack  the  dogmas  of 
the  Church  and  slowly  doubt  commenced  to  cor- 
rode creeds.  The  investigation  of  psychism,  by 
scientists,  gave  a  standing  to  the  phenomena  which 


SPIRITUAL  RENAISSANCE         211 

they  formerly  lacked  and  many  members  of  the 
Church  were  converted  into  thinkers.  So  large 
and  respectable,  in  the  eyes  of  the  world,  did 
Spiritism  become,  that  societies,  for  psychical  re- 
search, were  established  among  all  nations,  not 
entirely  dominated  by  the  Church.  The  Occultists 
continued  their  work  along  these  lines  until  the 
movement  gained  such  impetus  as  to  disintegrate 
dogma  in  the  minds  of  millions  of  men. 

There  were  other  Occultists,  who  had  specialized 
in  philosophy  rather  than  magic,  and,  under  the 
Great  Teacher,  became  active  in  other  directions. 
Some  of  these  sought  to  reawaken  an  interest  in 
philosophy  and  psychology,  two  subjects  of  which 
the  world  was  densely  ignorant.  Philosophy  had 
become  the  unpractical  realm  in  which  a  few 
dreamers  dwelt,  much  to  the  amusement,  or  con- 
tempt, of  their  contemporaries.  Psychology  was 
barely  kept  alive,  in  small  classes  in  the  colleges, 
and  there  it  was  studied  rather  as  the  abnormal 
functioning  of  mind  than  of  mind  itself,  with  its 
powers  and  potentialities.  Philosophy  and  psy- 
chology were  both  considered,  by  the  ignorant 
world — even  of  letters — as  ** impracticable,''  and 
a  stamp  of  that  kind  was  conclusive  in  an  age  of 
materialism.  But,  among  the  more  progressive 
philosophic  students  of  the  century,  was  one  Dr. 
Quimby  who  was  conducting  classes  in  Berkeleyan 
philosophy ;  and  among  his  pupils  were  a  number 
of  strong  egos.   This  was  a  center  that  was  quickly 


212  FRAGMENTS  OF  TRUTH 

utilized,  by  the  evolutionary  powers,  throuigh 
which  to  stimulate  the  study  of  applied  phi- 
losophy, especially  in  its  relation  to  practical  life. 
Truth  is  always  colored  by  the  medium  through 
which  it  manifests.  Being  a  physician,  and  a 
child  of  the  age  in  which  he  lived,  Dr.  Quimby 
naturally  sought  to  make  his  philosophy  practical, 
particularly  along  the  line  of  his  profession. 

The  basis  of  Berkeley's  philosophy  is  that  no 
object  can  be  known  except  under  the  form  which 
sense  perception  gives  it.  This  of  course  Berkeley 
derived,  as  a  conclusion,  from  Locke  who  attacked 
a  materialism  which  sought  to  '^make  a  self- 
existent,  stupid,  unthinking,  substance  the  root 
and  origin  of  all  being.*'  Traced  back  step  by 
step,  through  a  distinct  line  of  philosophers,  it 
finally  reaches  its  source  in  a  perverted,  or  one- 
sided, view  of  the  idealism  of  Socrates. 

Quimby 's  contribution  to  the  world  was  the  ap- 
plication of  Berkeley's  philosophy  to  the  curing  of 
disease.  If  no  object  can  be  known  except  under 
the  form  which  sense  perception  gives  it,  then, 
urged  Quimby,  by  inhibiting  sense  perception  of 
disease  it  is  destroyed.  Many  of  Quimby 's  pupils 
enthusiastically  accepted  this  half  truth,  as  truth, 
and  through  mental  suggestion  put  it  into  prac- 
tical application. 

Neither  Quimby  nor  his  disciples  seemed  to  have 
grasped  the  philosophic  truth  which  the  Occultists 
were  trying  to  impress  upon  them,  that  know- 


SPIRITUAL  RENAISSANCE         213 

ledge  is  the  result  of  the  interaction  of  two  factors, 
subject  and  object — though  these  may  be,  in  them- 
selves, two  aspects  of  primordial  essence.  And 
that  if  there  is  subject  and  object  then  inhibition 
of  sense  perception  of  disease  only  destroys  a 
*' knowledge  of,"  or  a  *' belief  in,"  disease  and  not 
the  disease  itself — as  has  been  demonstrated  in 
many  thousands  of  cases  among  the  religionists 
of  Quimby's  applied  philosophy. 

One  of  Quimby's  pupils  started  the  Christian 
Science  movement  and  perverted  the  philosophic 
statement  of  Berkeley,  and  the  semi-philosophic, 
but  illogical  conclusion  of  Quimby,  to  the  falla- 
cious dogma  that  ** there  is  no  matter"— no  phi- 
losophic **  object." 

This  unphilosophic  principle  was  duly  heralded 
as  the  ** discovery,"  by  the  founder  of  the  move- 
ment, of  a  new  truth,  which,  to  a  student  of  the 
idealism  and  of  the  nihilism  found  in  many  of  the 
sacred  books  of  the  East,  was  as  amusing  as  the 
discovery  by  a  schoolboy  of  the  multiplication 
table. 

Other  students  of  Dr.  Quimby  founded  the  New 
Thought  movement  which  adhered  more  closely 
to  the  Berkeleyan  philosophy.  Both  movements 
specialized  in  mental  healing  and  gained,  and  con- 
tinue to  gain,  about  the  same  number  of  adherents, 
for  both  utilize  the  time-honored  principle  of  at- 
tracting and  convincing  the  mass  through  phe- 
nomena. 


214  FRAGMENTS  OF  TRUTH 

Both  movements  drew  largely  from  the  Church 
and  made  a  distinct  step  upward  for  those  who 
joined  the  new  schools  of  thought.  When  New 
Thought  was  well  under  way,  Prentice  Mulford 
was  fortunate  enough  to  meet  with,  and  study 
under,  a  French  Occultist.  Mulford  embodied  the 
Occult  Philosophy,  as  he  understood  it,  in  six 
volumes  entitled  **Your  Forces  and  How  to  Use 
Them."  These  books  made  a  profound  impres- 
sion upon  the  students  of  New  Thought,  broaden- 
ing their  views  and  showing  them  that  their  New 
Thought  was  but  a  part  of  the  oldest  philosophy 
extant — Occultism. 

Many  students  of  Christian  Science  became  dis- 
satisfied with  the  limitations  of  their  Church,  and 
left  it  to  start  other  mental  movements  along 
broader  lines.  All  these  progressive  thought 
schools  and  churches  contributed  their  share 
toward  awakening  in  man  a  consciousness  of  his 
divine  nature  and  toward  teaching  him  his  actual 
and  potential,  mental  and  spiritual  powers.  These 
schools  caused  a  reaction  on  Churchianity  and 
awakened,  in  it,  a  knowledge  that  men  were  fast 
outgrowing  the  worn-out  dogmas  founded  upon,  or 
embodied,  in  the  Nicene  Creed. 

When  the  three  described  movements  were  well 
under  way,  or  about  the  last  quarter  of  the  nine- 
teenth century,  a  fourth  effort  was  made  by  other 
Occultists,  under  the  Great  Teacher,  to  enlighten 
humanity  by  destroying  the  crude  creeds  of  all  the 


SPIEITUAL  RENAISSANCE  215 

old  religions — commencing  with  the  dominant  one 
of  the  Occident.  The  exoteric  head  of  this  fourth 
movement  was  Madam  H.  P.  Blavatsky,  and  the 
esoteric  powers  were  the  Occultists  assigned  to 
work  both  behind  and  in  that  society.  The  first 
worker  behind  the  scenes  was  that  brilliant  Oc- 
cidental Occultist,  whose  portrait  was  poorly 
painted  by  a  member  of  the  Society,  and  was  after- 
ward photographed  for  the  benefit  of  some  of  the 
esoteric  members.  This  worker  was  known  by  a 
number  of  names,  but  was,  in  point  of  fact,  the  ego 
formerly  known  as  Cagliostro.  To  him  had  been 
entrusted  the  preliminary,  esoteric  education  of 
Madam  Blavatsky  and  the  outlining  of  the  Society 
she  was  to  establish.  Later,  two  Oriental  Occul- 
tists known  as  ^^M."  and  **K.H."  took  charge  of 
directing  the  work  through  the  Madam;  and 
finally,  in  the  last  days  bf  her  life,  a  new  teacher 
was  assigned  her — an  Occultist  called  **H.P.B." 
or  **B,''  to  distinguish  him  from  his  medium, 
the(  Madam.  He  was,  in  point  of  fact,  Jacob 
Boehme — in  a  former  incarnation. 

The  object  of  these  diversified  teachers  was  to 
attract  to  the  movement  associates  and  followers 
of  former  lives  and  persons  of  various  races  and 
castes,  and  of  many  mental  differences.  For  the 
primal  purpose  of  that  organization  was  to  estab- 
lish a  Universal  Brotherhood,  in  the  only  way  it 
could  be  done,  namely,  by  studying  Aryan  and 
other  Eastern  literatures,  religions  and  sciences ; 


216  FRAGMENTS  OF  TRUTH 

and  by  showing  that,  at  heart,  all  religions  and 
most  sciences  are  one  in  essence — Esotericism,  or 
Occultism. 

Another  announced  object  of  the  Theosophical 
Society,  which  the  new  movement  was  called,  was 
to  investigate  unexplained  Laws  of  Nature  and 
the  psychical  powers  latent  in  man.  According  to 
time-honored  tradition,  this  object  was  accen- 
tuated in  the  beginning  of  the  Society  and  the 
production  of  psychic  phenomena  outclassed,  in 
every  way,  that  produced  in  the  other  movements. 
Naturally,  this  attracted  many  people,  first, 
through  curiosity,  and  later,  by  reason  of  mental 
conviction.  This  Society  never  acquired  the  large 
membership  of  many  of  the  other  organizations, 
but,  nevertheless,  did  as  great  a  work.  Through 
its  activities,  some  knowledge  of  a  religious  phi- 
losophy was  inculcated  into  the  Occident,  which, 
prior  to  that  time,  was  devoid  of  any.  This  phi- 
losophy of  esotericism  had  to  be  given  out  spar- 
ingly, at  first,  and  the  early  literature  of  the 
Society  was  as  much  destructive  to  the  preten- 
sions of  the  old  religions  and  sciences,  as  it  was 
constructive  in  .unfolding  a  knowledge  of  the  old 
philosophy.  Later,  an  esoteric,  or  inner  group, 
was  formed  within  the  Society,  in  which  some  of 
the  teachings  were  given  in  a  more  exact  manner 
than  was  taught  the  public. 
^  After  Madam  Blavatsky's  death  the  Mother 
Society  first  divided  into  two  rival  organizations 


SPIRITUAL  RENAISSANCE  217 

and  later,  from  these,  arose  many  others — as 
Madam  Blavatsky  foretold  would  be  the  case.  The 
Mother  Organization  had  to  do  the  pioneer  work, 
the  later  societies  and  schools  exhibited  different 
progressive  phases  of  that  work.  The  fact  that 
the  Mother  Society,  and  its  children,  jealously 
spend  more  time  in  criticizing  each  other  than  in 
attempting  to  form  a  nucleus  of  Universal 
Brotherhood,  should  be  attributed  to  human 
frailty  and  not  to  a  lack  of  merit  in  the  purpose  of 
each  organization. 

As  the  human  ego  lives,  occupying  many  suc- 
cessive bodies,  so  does  truth  manifest  in  many 
vehicles.  It  is  evident,  to  any  one  who  will  care- 
fully analyze  the  organizations  mentioned,  that  no 
single  movement  does  more  than  express  a  phase 
of  Occultism.    For  example : 

Spiritism  reveals  the  psychical  power  latent  in 
man.  Christian  Science  and  New  Thought  the 
mental  powers,  while  Theosophy  presents  an 
aspect  of  the  ancient  philosophy.  Each  movement 
has  appealed,  as  it  was  intended  it  should,  to  that 
class  of  minds  interested  in  the  respective  sub- 
jects. No  one  movement  could  have,  at  the  time, 
attracted  the  students  of  the  other  movements  be- 
cause of  the  dissimilarity  in  mental  character- 
istics. 

There  are  basically  two  classes  of  minds  in  the 
world.  The  contemplative,  or  rational,  and  the  ac- 
tive or  intuitional.    In  their  undeveloped  states, 


218  FRAGMENTS  OF  TRUTH 

eacli  is  tenacious  of  its  original  tendencies,  but,  as 
they  evolve,  each  complements  its  deficiency  by 
acquiring  something  of  the  nature  of  its  opposite. 
It  was  natural,  therefore,  that  Theosophy,  or  the 
philosophic  movement,  should  attract  the  contem- 
plative man  while  Christian  Science  appealed  to 
the  practical  mind  by  a  display  of  the  force  aspects 
of  the  ego;  and  that  New  Thought  should  be  a 
step  toward  harmonizing  the  two  elements.  And 
in  contradistinction  to  these  mental  movements 
stands  the  psychic. 

It  was  also  natural,  at  the  present  stage  of 
evolution,  that  gratitude  and  loyalty  to  a  teacher 
for  bringing  a  student  out  of  dogma  into  light 
should  have  made  fanatics  of  many  undeveloped 
members  of  each  group ;  and  that,  in  consequence, 
*'  all  truth  "  should  be  claimed  by  the  members  of 
each  organization.  But,  as  the  organizers  of  each 
movement  passed  away,  a  greater  tolerance  grew 
up  and  the  interaction  will,  in  time,  •  not  only 
broaden  and  enlighten  the  respective  followers  of 
each  aspect  of  truth,  but  unitedly  will  influence 
the  outside  world. 

The  thinking  world  has,  already,  been  greatly 
helped  by  the  teachings  of  each  group ;  and  it  is 
not  in  membership  but  in  influence  that  the  im- 
portance of  a  movement  should  be  measured. 
Millions  of  egos  have,  through  private  study,  been 
helped  by  the  literature,  which  has  been  issued, 
during   the   last   half   century,   by   the   various 


SPIRITUAL  RENAISSANCE  219 

aspects  of  progressive  thought.  The  mental  re- 
action is  seen  even  in  the  churches  which  have 
been  compelled  to  abandon  or  suppress  some  of 
their  dogmas. 

The  object  of  the  Great  Teacher,  in  stimulating 
each  of  the  foregoing  movements,  was  the  same ;  to 
bring  about  a  spiritual  renaissance,  and  not  to 
perpetuate  new  churches,  or  cults.  With  the  con- 
elusion  of  the  present  cycle,  these  organizations, 
like  those  of  all  religions,  will  pass  away ;  but  the 
truths  presented  by  them  will,  unitedly,  enlighten 
unborn  generations. 

It  is  thought,  not  forms,  that  persists.  For  this 
reason,  perhaps,  the  greatest  work  done  under  the 
Teacher  was  seemingly  unorganized.  Many  Oc- 
cultists were  delegated  to  collect,  translate  and 
publish,  the  works  of  ancient  and  mediaeval  eso- 
tericists.  There  was  no  old  Occidental  Occultist, 
whose  teachings  could  aid  in  the  renaissance,  who 
was  overlooked,  and  all  the  sacred  books  of  the 
East  became  the  property  of  the  world. 

Other  modem  esotericists  were  requested  to 
supplement  all  that  had  been  done  with  such  com- 
plementary writings  as  would  harmonize  and  com- 
plete the  whole.  Thus  has  some  of  the  work  of 
the  New  Master  been  publicly  done,  so  as  to  ad- 
minister to  the  needs  of  present  humanity  and  to 
prepare  the  spiritual  food  for  the  quickly  ap- 
proaching Aquarian  Age. 


CHAPTEE  TWELVE 

THE  ESOTERIC  CHRIST 

Less  than  sixty  years  ago,  Abraham  Lincoln  was 
one  of  the  most  bitterly  assailed  men  in  the  United 
States.  The  papers  were  teeming  with  abuse  of 
him,  although  he  was  trying  to  serve  the  people 
according  to  his  light.  And  then  occurred  his 
tragic  death,  and,  with  it,  came  a  revulsion  in  the 
feelings  of  the  people  of  the  country  towards  him ; 
for  a  martyr  is  frequently  the  hero  of  a  future 
myth.  And,  with  the  revulsion  of  public  senti- 
ment, those  who  had  despised  Mr.  Lincoln  began 
to  study  his  character  more  carefully  and  to  weigh, 
more  nicely,  his  services  to  the  republic;  and,  as 
they  understood  him  better,  they  began  to  ap- 
preciate him. 

As  time  went  on  the  faults  of  the  man  were 
forgotten  and  his  virtues  alone  were  remembered ; 
still  later,  he  was  praised  and  glorified  until  at 
present,  he  has  almost  reached,  in  the  minds  of 
many,  the  position  of  a  demi-god.  Eecently  a 
Grand  Army  of  the  Eepublic  man,  when  asked 
what  his  religion  was,  replied,  *^My  religion  is 
Abraham  Lincoln." 

This  character,  because  so  recently  alive,  is  used 
to  illustrate  the  mythopeic  tendency  of  the  human 

220 


THE  ESOTERIC  CHRIST  221 

mind  which  is  exemplified  throughout  history. 
And  if  this  myth-making  tendency  manifests  so 
strongly,  about  a  recent  political  character,  in  a 
sceptic  age  of  reporters  and  the  public  press,  what 
may  be  expected  in  the  case  of  religious  leaders 
in  a  remote,  credulous  age  where  there  were  no 
reporters  or  press? 

Not  only  is  the  human  mind  mythopeic  but  it  is 
very  limited  in  its  scope  of  myth-making,  repeat- 
ing the  same  stories  age  after  age,  merely  apply- 
ing them  to  different  characters,  as  the  same 
names  are  repeatedly  given  to  different  cities  and 
streets,  or  the  same  legends  told  about  different 
localities. 

Some  time  ago  a  book  was  published  in  which 
was  collected,  substantially,  the  same  historical 
myths  which  had  been  applied,  in  turn,  to  all  of 
the  leading  religious  teachers  of  the  past — the 
book  was  entitled  **The  Ten  Crucified  Saviours 
of  the  World." 

As  some  workmen  destroy  an  old,  useless  build- 
ing to  erect  a  better  one  on  its  site,  so  do  some 
iconoclasts  destroy  beliefs,  only  to  regenerate  them 
on  a  higher  plane,  modelling  their  acts  after  those 
of  the  Hindoo  God  Siva. 

The  mythical  Jesus  Christ  has  served  His  pur- 
pose and  has  now  ceased  to  be  a  potent  factor  in 
the  lives  of  even  those  who  formally  worship  Him. 
Why,  then,  continue  the  myth  any  longer? 

May  not  the  mystical  Jesus,  when  understood, 


222  FRAGMENTS  OF  TRUTH 

become  a  power  in  the  evolution  of  the  mass  as  He 
has  been  in  the  lives  of  many  Occultists  in  the 
past  and  in  the  present? 

It  is  with  that  hope  that  this  Chapter  of  Occult 
history  is  written.  The  Church  records  say  that 
a  little  less  than  two  thousand  years  ago,  in 
Bethlehem  was  born  a  Saviour  of  the  world. 
Prior  to  His  birth,  angels  appeared  to  His 
mother  Mary,  telling  her  that  she  would  bring 
forth  a  Saviour — just  as  they  had  appeared  a 
short  time  before  to  Elizabeth,  revealing  to  her 
that  she  would  bear  a  sacred  ego ;  and  as  they  had 
appeared  to  the  mother  of  Buddha,  saying  that 
her  issue  would  redeem  the  world;  and  to  the 
mother  of  Krishna,  to  whom  the  same  message  was 
given. 

These  Celestial  Visitors,  to  Mary,  are  compat- 
ible with  the  Occult  records,  for,  when  a  great 
Soul  is  to  be  bom  it  is  customary  to  warn  the 
mother  to  use  all  precautions,  mental  and  physical, 
to  give  as  perfect  a  vehicle  to  the  incarnating  ego 
as  is  possible. 

But  the  further  message,  as  narrated  by  the 
usually  published  texts  of  the  gospels,  according 
to  Matthew  and  Luke,  that  a  virgin  should  bear 
a  son,  is  not  corroborated  by  the  other  two  gospels 
and  is  distinctly  contradicted  by  the  oldest  text, 
now  extant,  of  Matthew  (Mt.  Sinai  Text,  A.D. 
350-400),  which  in  verse  xxi  says  that  the  angel 
told  Joseph  that  Mary  should  **bear  thee  a  son," 


THE  ESOTERIC  CHRIST  223 

and  in  verse  xxv,  **He  (Joseph)  married  his  wife 
and  she  bore  him  a  son  and  he  called  his  name 
Jesus.'' 

It  was  at  this  point  that  the  unskilful  myth- 
makers  commenced  their  work,  in  order  to  make 
Jesus  a  unique  character  in  history.  The  Occult 
records  state  that  Joseph  married  Mary  and  she 
bore  him  a  son  and  they  named  him  Joshua,  which 
in  Hebrew  means  a  Saviour. 
/  The  name  Jesus  Christ  is  the  translation  of  the 
Greek  text,  Issus  Christus  (formerly  Christos), 
meaning  the  anointed  Saviour,  or  prophet,  or  in 
mystical  language,  the  Initiate.  Throughout  this 
Chapter,  His  popular  name  will  be  used  to  avoid 
confusion. 

It  should  be  remembered,  in  this  connection, 
that  the  Occult  records  were  prepared  by  the  Magi 
who  attended  His  birth,  while  the  imperfect 
records  of  the  Church  were  not  compiled  until  over 
three  centuries  after  His  alleged  death. 
^  It  should  be  further  remembered  that  the  gos- 
pels were  not  written  by  the  disciples  of  Jesus  but 
were  prepared  centuries  later  by  remote  disciples 
of  disciples  who  gave  the  traditional  versions, 
** according  to,''  the  respective  teachings  of  the 
four  so-called  evangelists,  as  the  unknown  writers 
had  received  them  from  their  predecessors. 

Think  of  the  necessary  inaccuracies  which  would 
have  crept  into  a  history  that  had  been  handed 
down,  by  word  of  mouth,  for  twelve  generations, 


224  FRAGMENTS  OF  TRUTH 

and  covering  over  three  centuries.  TMnk  of  one's 
experience  in  having  one's  story  repeated,  by  a 
few  friends,  and  coming  back  almost  unrecogniz- 
able after  a  few  days,  or  weeks,  and  then  judge 
what  it  would  have  been  if  repeated  for  centuries. 

It  is  no  wonder  that  there  has  never  been  an 
agreement  in  the  Church  as  to  the  cardinal  facts 
in  the  life,  the  words,  or  the  teachings  of  Jesus. 
Dissensions  arose  in  the  first  century  and  con- 
tinue to  multiply  to  the  present  day.  These  dis- 
agreements have  led  to  many  intentional  falsifica- 
tions of  text,  and  of  history,  in  the  past,  by  par- 
tisan priests,  as  has  been  shown  elsewhere. 

The  Church  has  even  failed  to  agree  upon  the 
date  of  the  birth  of  the  Saviour.  The  dates  given 
by  the  earliest  writers  are  January  6th,  March 
25th,  March  28th,  April  19th  or  20th,  May  20th 
and  November  17th.  The  date  now  celebrated, 
December  25th,  informed  Churchmen  unite  in  say- 
ing, is  incorrect. 

The  first  feast  of  the  Church  was  that  of  the 
Epiphany,  and  in  the  beginning,  about  A.D.  190, 
was  movable;  but,  finally,  January  6th  was 
settled  upon  as  the  time  for  its  celebration.  The 
baptism,  and  not  the  birth  or  the  crucifixion,  of 
Jesus  was  regarded  by  the  early  Church  Fathers 
as  the  great  event  in  His  life.  For  baptism  was 
the  mystical  acceptance  of  the  probationer  into  the 
fold  of  the  select — a  more  or  less  public  recog- 
nition of  the  candidate's  ordination.    It  was  at 


THE  ESOTERIC  CHRIST  225 

the  baptism,  that  the  Spirit  of  God  descended  like 
a  dove  and  made  the  candidate  over  into  a  purified 
messenger,  or  oracle  (Chrestes),  of  God.  It  was 
then  that  Jesus  became  the  Chrestes,  or  Christ,  in 
the  judgment  of  His  early  followers. 

When  the  later  members  of  the  Church  desired  a 
second  feast  day,  to  celebrate  the  birth  of  the 
Saviour,  they  first  settled  upon  January  6th,  mak- 
ing the  Epiphany  cover  both  events.  Not  yet  had 
the  myth-makers  built  up  the  theological  doctrine 
of  the  crucifixion  and  the  redemption. 

But  the  early  Christians  found  that  their  feast 
day,  of  January  6th,  followed  too  closely  the  uni- 
versal feast  day  of  December  25th,  in  Northern 
latitudes.  The  25th  day  of  December  had  been 
celebrated  by  all  nations  and  peoples  during  the 
Arine  Age.  The  Pagan  feast  was  astronomical, 
and  was  addressed  to  the  Gods  to  send  the  sun 
again  to  the  world  to  give  it  light  and  life;  and 
the  early  Christians,  seeing,  as  they  thought,  a 
parallel  between  the  feasts  of  the  Sun  of  God  and 
the  Son  of  God,  moved  their  Christmas  of  January 
6th  back,  in  the  calendar,  to  December  25th,  and 
celebrated  it  at  -the  same  date  as  the  Pagans,  and 
a  little  later,  A.D.  534,  that  day  was  judicially 
declared  the  birthday. 

The  Occult  records  show  that  Jesus  was  bom 
September  21st  B.C.  4— Julian  Calendar;  the  ap- 
parent discrepancy  is  due  to  the  changes  made  by 
that  calendar  in  reckoning  time. 


226  FRAGMENTS  OF  TRUTH 

As  less  enlightened  people  were  drawn  into  the 
Christian  movement,  the  personality  of  the 
Saviour  began  to  loom  large  while  His  teachings 
became  confused.  The  myth-makers  were  at  work 
and  the  son  of  man  was  rapidly  being  absorbed 
in  the  mythical,  not  mystical.  Son  of  God. 

The  parents  of  Jesus,  His  brothers  and  sisters 
and  early  followers,  had  not  claimed  any  specific 
deification  for  Him,  but  the  myth-makers  saw  to 
it  that,  by  the  end  of  the  second  century,  He  was 
pre-eminently  the  Son  of  God;  and  by  A.D.  325, 
the  Church  was  divided  into  two  factions:  one 
claiming  the  myth  that  He  was  the  only  begotten 
Son  of  God,  and  the  other  contending  that  He  was 
a  created  intelligence  and  a  Son  of  God  like  all 
good  Christians — and  was  pre-eminent  only  by 
reason  of  His  development. 

The  Occult  records  disclose  that  Jesus  was  the 
product  of  this  planetary  system.  That,  like  the 
rest  of  humanity,  He  had  incarnated  many  times ; 
but,  unlike  the  majority  of  mankind.  He  had 
profited  by  His  experiences — had  taken  life  seri- 
ously, had  understood  the  purpose  of  His  crea- 
tion and  incarnations  and,  therefore,  had  out- 
stripped His  more  slowly  developing  brothers. 

His  wonderful  progress  as  an  evolving  soul  did 
not  lessen  His  love  for  His  fellowmen,  but,  in- 
stead, filled  Him  with  pity  for  their  blindness  and 
mistakes.  Therefore,  in  several  previous  lives.  He 
had  attempted  to  do  what  He  could  for  the  people 


THE  ESOTERIC  CHRIST  227 

of  His  respective  Ages,  and,  particularly,  in  the 
incarnation  preceding  the  one  as  '*  Jesus,'*  when 
He  was  known  to  sacred  history  as  the  prophet 
Elisha,  which  meant,  in  Hebrew,  it  is  interesting 
to  note,  *^God  as  a  Saviour." 

As  Elisha,  He  did  not  accomplish  all  that  He 
desired  or  attempted,  and  determined  to  again  in- 
carnate as  a  Jew  in  order  to  complete  His  work. 
He  well  knew  the  Messianic  traditions  and  saw 
that,  by  taking  a  body  from  the  House  of  David, 
at  that  particular  juncture  of  history.  He  could 
fulfil  many  of  those  traditions.  The  Arine  Cycle 
was  closing  and  a  new  Teacher  had  to  incarnate 
to  revive  the  ancient  truths,  and  so.  He  was  willing 
to  make  an  oblation  of  Himself,  for  the  redemp- 
tion— through  truth — of  the  Jewish  world.  His 
life,  and  not  His  death,  was  His  gift  to  man ;  and 
that  life  was  an  aid  and  an  inspiration  to  His 
original,  and  to  all  subsequent  disciples,  and  to 
all  mystics. 

The  Biblical  and  the  Occult  records  agree  as  to 
the  family  in  which  He  incarnated,  and  that  the 
Magi  came  from  the  East  to  attend  His  birth  and 
that  they  brought  with  them  presents  sorely 
needed  by  the  family — for  Jesus  was  born  in  abject 
poverty. 

The  **Wise  Men,''  were  members  of  the  same 
Occult  Brotherhood  to  which  Jesus  had  belonged, 
in  His  previous  incarnation,  and  they  sought  to 
care  for,  and  protect,  Him  in  His  babyhood  and 


228  FRAGMENTS  OF  TRUTH 

later  to  aid  Him  in  His  development,  and  in  His 
work.  It  was  they  who  aided  in  the  flight  to  Egypt 
and  who  assisted  in  His  safe  return. 

The  public  records  of  His  childhood  are  lacking, 
but  the  Occult  records  show  that  Jesus  at  an 
early  age  commenced  His  studies  vnth  the  Essenes 
— the  esoteric  sect  of  the  Hebrews  to  which  His 
parents  belonged.  His  progress  was  marvellous 
and  at  the  age  of  twelve  He  was  found  debating 
philosophical  truths  with  Rabbis  and  getting  the 
best  of  the  arguments.  He  was  then  ready  for 
the  profounder  truths,  and,  with  the  consent  of 
His  parents,  was  taken  by  the  Magi,  at  the  age 
of  fourteen,  to  a  Lodge  of  Occultists  in  the  Far 
East  and  there  instructed  in  esoteric  Philosophy 
and  Sciences  and  prepared  for  His  mission. 

In  His  twenty-eighth  year  He  returned  home 
and  received  His  public  baptism,  under  John,  for, 
without  this  ceremony.  He  would  have  received 
scant  attention  from  the  Jews. 

John  knew  that  Jesus  was  an  Initiate  and  hesi- 
tated to  confer  the  lesser  baptism  upon  Him;  but, 
upon  the  insistence  of  Jesus,  consented.  It  must 
not  be  understood  that  Jesus  was  a  full  Initiate 
at  that  time,  for  He  had  only  taken  the  lesser 
degrees  of  Occultism  and  had  much  to  overcome, 
in  His  personal  character,  before  He  would  be 
prepared  to  receive  the  Greater  Mysteries.  He 
was  called  both  the  Son  of  God  and  the  Son  of 
Man,  showing  His  dual  nature.    He  had  within 


^      THE  ESOTERIC  CHRIST  229 

Himself  all  the  possibilities  of  Godhood,  and  the 
actualities  of  animalhood  that  all  men  possess.  In 
other  words,  He  was  a  strong  subjective  mind, 
possessing  a  powerful  objective  mind. 

His  was  a  strong  emotional  nature,  which,  in 
His  earlier  life.  He  failed  to  control.  Even  in  His 
public  career  He  was  seen  at  one  time  weeping 
over  Jerusalem,  and  at  another,  pouring  invec- 
tives against  it.  Anger  swept  away  His  reason 
when  He  hurled  vituperations  time  and  time  again 
upon  customs,  sects  and  persons.  Nor  did  He 
confine  Himself  to  words,  for  the  Church  records 
show  Him  assaulting  those  who  bartered  and  sold 
in  the  Temple.  He  so  lost  His  temper,  that  it 
mastered  reason,  when  He  found  the  fig-tree 
barren;  and  so  far  forgot  His  obligations  as  to 
use  His  occult  powers  to  destroy  the  tree  for  not 
bearing  fruit  out  of  season. 

His  objective  mind  was,  as  every  objective  mind 
is,  difficult  to  control,  tempestuous,  animal  and 
irritable;  and  yet,  by  persistent  effort,  by  con- 
stant humiliation  of  the  flesh,  through  fasting,  by 
prayer,  and  by  concentration  of  will,  He  slowly 
dominated,  one  by  one,  His  lower  emotions  and 
thus  acquired  self-control — ;the  control  of  the  emo- 
tional nature  by  the  intellect  and  will.  This  is 
not  written  in  disparagement  of  Jesus,  but  in 
adoration  of  His  triumph  over  self  and  of  His 
attainment  of  Godhood. 

The  Occult  records  further  show  that  when 


230  FRAGMENTS  OF  TRUTH 

Jesus  thought  He  had  conquered  His  baser  nature, 
He  was  then  required  to  submit  to  the  supreme 
test  of  self-discipline.  No  man  knows  himself 
until  he  is  tried  and  has  proven  himself  immune 
to  temptation. 

There  are  many  smug  people  who  pitilessly  con- 
demn a  mistake  of  another,  who,  if  they  were 
tempted,  would  likewise  err.  They  are  the  nega- 
tively good,  or  such  persons  whose  souls  have 
never  been  put  under  pressure.  The  positively 
good  are  those  who,  having  first  failed  under 
temptation,  rebuild  their  characters  later,  into 
spiritual  adamant,  as  all  advanced  souls  have 
done. 

A  man  may  be  moral,  poised,  a  conqueror  of  the. 
brute  within  himself,  and  have  acquired  many  of 
the  finer  attributes  of  soul,  and  still  be  imperfect. 
Once  he  commences  to  feel,  within  himself,  the 
creative  force  of  God;  once  he  tastes  the 
ecstasy  of  power,  of  dominion,  of  mental  creation, 
and,  having  eaten  of  the  Tree  of  Knowledge  and 
become  as  a  God,  then  comes  his  final  temptation, 
the  allurement  to  use  his  forces  selfishly. 

He  knows  he  has  developed  his  power,  through 
his  own  exercise  of  will ;  that,  through  self-effort, 
he  has  brought  himself  from  the  lower  planes  of 
manhood  and  has  placed  himself  among  the  Gods. 
From  within,  or  from  without,  comes  the  subtle 
suggestion, ''  now  that  you  have,  through  the  slow 
course  of  ages,  brought  yourself  to  your  present 


THE  ESOTERIC  CHRIST  231 

position,  why  not  enjoy  the  fruit  of  your  labors — 
why  not  dominate  the  world  f 

And  so  Jesus  was  taken,  **by  the  Devil,"  into  a 
high  mountain  and  alone  fought  the  final  battle 
with  himself  and  the  powers  of  evil — there  He 
suffered  the  final  temptation  of  a  developed  Soul 
and  conquered. 

The  Biblical  and  Occult  records  both  show  that 
Jesus  was  tempted.  It  was  not  merely  an  invita- 
tion, but  a  temptation.  A  perfected  God  could 
not  have  been  tempted;  such  a  Soul,  with  Its 
triumphs,  could  have  meant  nothing  to  struggling 
humanity,  because  there  could  have  been  no  point 
of  contact  between  It  and  mankind.  It  would 
have  been  a  useless  experiment  for  the  '^Only  Be- 
gotten Son  of  God,''  to  have  automatically  gone 
through  certain  human  experiences,  unless  it  was 
to  teach  God  what  man  knew,  and  there  is  where 
the  myth-makers  muddle  their  own  misconcep- 
tions. 

But  if,  as  the  Occultists  claim,  Jesits  was  a  com- 
posite of  God  and  man,  as  all  men  are,  and  had 
to  pass  through  all  the  typical  experiences,  that 
come  in  the  destiny  of  man,  then  His  life  becomes 
illuminative ;  His  suffering  is  man's  suffering;  His 
triumphs  are  man's  triumphs,  for,  what  man  has 
done,  man  can  do;  then  He  is  an  inspiration  to 
each  struggling  soul,  an  elder  Brother  of  the  race ; 
then  His  teachings  become  vibrant  with  life  and 
power,  because  based  upon  His  personal  know- 


232  FRAGMENTS  OF  TRUTH 

ledge  and  experience;  and  then  in  actuality, 
does  He  become  ''the  way,  the  truth  and  the 
life." 

After  Jesus  had  proven  to  Himself  and  to  the 
Brotherhood,  from  whence  He  came,  that  He  was 
adamant  to  temptation,  then  was  He  qualified  to 
go  into  the  world  and  redeem  it  by  His  teachings 
and  His  life ;  and  He  took  up  His  work  at  the  age 
of  twenty-eight.  The  Occult  records  show  that 
He  taught,  as  all  His  predecessors  had  done,  in 
parables,  to  the  people,  and  esoterically  to  the 
«lect.  The  ethical  truths  taught  were  also  the 
same  as  those  given  by  all  the  prior  prophets. 

The  so-called  Biblical  records  are  imperfect 
translations  committed  to  writing  three  centuries 
after  Jesus'  mission;  and,  therefore,  contain  but 
a  general  outline  of  His  life  and  teachings,  with 
many  interpolations  by  the  priesthood,  to  help  out 
theological  controversies,  or  to  build  myths. 

Perhaps  the  most  unfortunate  myth  of  all,  was 
that  of  the  ''vicarious  atonement,"  which  origi- 
nated in  the  Church  about  A.D.  150,  and  which 
practically  nullified  the  entire  life  and  teachings  of 
Jesus.  This  myth  was  not  finally  accepted  by  the 
body  of  the  Church  until  after  the  Council  of 
Nice  (A.D.  325)  and  was  never  accepted  by  the 
mystics  within  the  Church.  The  vicarious  atone- 
ment is  so  illogical  that  no  adult  would  tolerate  the 
myth,  if  the  story  had  not  been  absorbed  with  the 
mother's  milk,  and  thus  had  become  in  thought  a 


THE  ESOTERIC  CHRIST  233 

part  of  the  normal  life,  like  the  family's  social, 
financial,  or  political  status. 

This  myth  was  the  reincarnation  of  a  prior  Jew- 
ish myth  of  a  like  kind,  fathered  by  other  similar 
myths,  and  born  in  the  night  of  time.  They  are 
all  due  to  the  human  trait  of  cowardice,  or  to  the 
desire  to  escape  from  the  consequences  of  one's 
own  acts.  The  myths  may  have  originated  with 
the  first  man  and  the  first  woman,  as  narrated  in 
Genesis,  he  seeking  to  make  her  responsible  for 
his  acts  while  she  placed  the  responsibility  upon 
the  serpent.  There  is  scarcely  any  country,  at 
any  period,  that  did  not  adopt  vicarious  atone- 
ment, in  one,  or  more,  forms,  as  a  part  of  its 
philosophy;  for  it  was  the  only  thing  that  ap- 
pealed to  mankind  in  the  childhood  of  the  race, 
and  priesthood  always  found  it  profitable  to 
pander  to  this  weakness. 

Among  the  Jews,  on  the  day  of  the  atonement, 
two  goats  were  selected  by  the  priests;  one  was 
killed,  as  a  sacrifice,  to  appease  Jehovah,  while  the 
other,  called  Azazel,  had  the  sins  of  the  people 
placed  upon  it  and  was  driven  into  the  wilder- 
ness. It  was  a  convenient  and  a  popular  way 
to  dispose  of  the  iniquities  of  the  people  and  far 
more  human  than  the  Athenian  festival,  Thargelia, 
where  a  man  and  a  woman  were  both  sacrificed 
for  the  same  purpose.  All  through  the  Old  Testa- 
ment is  the  thought  of  vicarious  atonement  in 
some  form. 


234  FRAGMENTS  OF  TRUTH 

Paul,  with  his  genius  for  misinterpretation, 
seemed  to  have  tentatively  applied  this  doctrine 
to  Jesus.  It  was  a  small  matter  to  change  the 
scapegoat  of  the  Jews  into  '*the  Lamb  of  God 
which  taketh  away  the  sins  of  the  world,"  and  was 
sure  to  meet  with  popular  acceptance.  Other 
Christian  writers  had  written  of  the  At-One- 
ment  to  be  had  through  the  teachings  of  Jesus, 
but,  to  Paul,  it  was  the  atonement— both  thoughts 
derived  from  Greek  words  in  the  Scripture  carry- 
ing veiy  different  meanings. 

If  Churchianity's  conception  of  Jesus  be  correct, 
how  useless  and  absurd  it  was  for  '*the  only  be- 
gotten Son  of  God,"  to  sacrifice  Himself,  to  Him- 
self, in  order  to  let  men  do  as  they  pleased  and 
escape  the  consequences. 

Could  His  death,  under  these  circumstances,  be 
a  sacrifice? 

What  lessons  could  His  life  teach  either  God  or 
man  under  those  conditions?  What  was  the  ob- 
ject of  existence  of  man  and  of  God?  What  was 
the  compensation  for  man's  living — ^the  pleasure 
of  selfishly  sinning?  What  became  of  Divine  Jus- 
tice which  is  synonymous  with  Divine  Love? 

The  vaunted  civilization  of  the  nineteenth  cen- 
tury, with  all  its  inequalities,  iniquities,  ignorance, 
thoughtlessness,  cruelties  and  crudities,  will,  some 
day,  in  the  not  far  distant  future,  be  cited  as  the 
logical  fruit  of  the  dogma  of  vicarious  atonement. 
This  time-honored  device  of  priesthood  did  not 


THE  ESOTERIC  CHEIST  235 

require  any  specific  act  upon  which  to  base  the 
dogma,  as  history  reveals;  but,  a  combination  of 
circumstances  in  the  life  of  the  Nazarene,  gave  a 
peculiarly  apt  opportunity  to  engraft  it  on  to 
Churchianity. 

According  to  the  legend  of  the  Church,  which 
was  believed  by  the  masses,  Jesus  was  supposed 
to  have  been  crucified  under  Pilate;  and  that  al- 
leged event  was  cited  by  the  Church  as  the  obla- 
tion of  Jesus  to  redeem  the  world  from  its  past, 
present  and  future  sins. 

According  to  Occult  history,  the  teachings  of 
Jesus  were  revolutionary  and  not  only  angered 
the  conservative  Jews,  whose  religion  He  attacked, 
but  were  subversive  of  the  rule  of  Eome.  The 
secular  and  sacerdotal  powers,  therefore,  agreed 
that  such  a  disturbing  element  should  be  removed 
and  charges  were  brought  against  Jesus.  He  did 
not  wish  to  give  up  His  life  more  than  any  other 
reformer,  as  was  repeatedly  shown  by  His  acts — 
as  when  He  fled  to  Galilee  to  save  His  life,  or 
when  He  made  His  escape  from  being  stoned,  while 
in  the  temple,  or  again  when  He  eluded  the  Jews, 
after  the  parable  of  the  shepherd,  or  when  He 
went  to  Ephraim  to  escape  death.  But  He  was 
finally  betrayed  by  Judas  and  was  brought  to  trial 
and  condemned  to  be  crucified. 

Jesus  willingly  would  have  suffered  the  igno- 
minious death  of  a  criminal's  crucifixion  if  a 
good  purpose  could  have  been  accomplished  by  it, 


236  FRAGMENTS  OF  TRUTH 

but  as  it  was,  it  was  an  effort  to  uselessly  sacrifice 
a  life  very  important  to  the  world — a  man  with  a 
message.  His  work  was  not  completed  and  so, 
while  awaiting  the  death  penalty,  He  consulted 
with  the  Magi,  or  Occultists,  from  the  Far  East, 
who  ever  remained  near  Him  from  the  moment  of 
His  birth,  how  to  escape  from  His  enemies. 

The  Occult  records  say  that  it  was  arranged 
among  the  Magi  and  Jesus  that  if  no  other  means 
of  escape  should  arise,  at  an  agreed  signal,  both 
Jesus  and  the  Magi  should  use  their  combined 
occult  powers  to  produce  a  condition  which  would 
open  an  avenue  of  safety  for  the  Nazarene. 

The  fatal  day  finally  arrived,  for  no  mitigation 
of  the  sentence  had  been  secured.  The  disciples 
of  the  Nazarene  were  without  influence,  as  were 
most  of  His  followers,  besides,  they  were  ren- 
dered more  impotent  by  reason  of  their  horror 
and  despair  at  the  thought  of  their  Teacher  being 
crucified. 

Jesus,  with  the  other  condemned  prisoners,  was 
conducted  toward  Golgotha,  each  bearing  his  own 
cross.  During  the  mournful  journey  a  large  num- 
ber of  people  collected,  most  of  them  Jews,  who 
had  brought  about  His  condemnation  and  who 
wished  to  witness  the  execution.  There  were  also 
some  of  His  disciples  and  followers  who  desired 
to  thus  pay  their  last  homage  to  Him. 

Just  before  reaching  the  place  of  execution 
Jesus  stumbled  and  fell,  as  though  the  weight  of 


THE  ESOTERIC  CHRIST  237 

the  cross  was  too  great,  and  this  was  the  signal 
for  the  Magi  to  use  their  power.  Unitedly  they 
used  Occult  forces  upon  the  multitude  and  a  great 
fear  fell  upon  the  people.  Then  the  Magi  caused 
a  cloud  of  darkness  to  descend  upon  the  panic- 
stricken  mob.  The  cloud  was  so  dense  that,  in  it, 
no  one  was  recognizable.  Then,  using  another 
Occult  force,  an  earthquake  was  produced  and,  in 
terror,  the  mob  fled  blindly.  Many  fainted  and 
were  trodden  upon  by  others  who  were  fleeing,  all 
believing  Jehovah  had  caused  the  phenomena  be- 
cause a  prophet  had  been  condemned  to  death. 
Thunder  reverberated,  lightning  played  in  the 
clouds  and  a  terrific  wind  arose,  all  of  which  added 
to  the  confusion  and  the  horror. 

When  the  disturbance  of  nature  subsided,  and 
the  guard  once  more  assembled,  there  were  but 
two  prisoners,  for  the  Nazarene  had  disappeared. 
Then  a  third  victim  was  taken  from  among  the 
few  who  had  been  too  paralyzed  with  fright  to 
escape,  and  this  man  like  the  other  two  prisoners 
was  a  thief.  The  soldiers,  after  mutilating  the 
faces  and  bodies  of  the  three  criminals  until  they 
were  unrecognizable,  crucified  them. 

Jesus  took  refuge  in  a  cave  a  short  distance 
from  the  scene  of  the  disturbance.  His  disciples 
did  not  know  what  had  become  of  Him  and  be- 
lieved He  had  been  one  of  the  three  who  had  been 
crucified. 

The  narrative  of  the  gospels  of  the  phenomena 


238  FRAGMENTS  OF  TRUTH 

on  the  cross,  the  appearance  of  the  angels,  and 
the  resurrection  of  the  Nazarene,  has  no  basis  in 
fact  but  was  a  myth  that  grew  up  during  the 
three  centuries,  or  more,  before  the  story  was 
committed  to  writing. 

Jesus  remained  in  the  cave,  where  He  had  hid- 
den Himself,  until  the  night  of  the  second  day 
when  He  ventured  forth  and  appeared  to  His  dis- 
ciples, who  had  gathered  to  mourn  His  loss. 

They  were  terrified  on  seeing  Him,  believing 
Him  an  apparition,  and  it  was  not  until  each  had 
touched  His  hands  and  body  and  kissed  His  face 
that  they  were  convinced  of  His  physical  presence. 

Then  He  explained  to  them  the  facts,  under  the 
injunction  that  they  should  tell  no  one  the  true 
conditions,  except  His  own  family.  He  was  still 
in  great  danger  of  losing  His  life  and  returned 
to  the  cave  where  He  was  visited,  by  the  elect,  who 
did  all  in  their  power  to  make  Him  comfortable 
during  His  enforced  sojourn  there. 

It  was  during  His  stay  in  the  cave  that  He  out- 
lined the  future  work  for  each  of  His  disciples; 
for  it  was  agreed  upon,  by  all,  that  His  public 
usefulness  was  ended  and  that  He  could  best  aid 
the  movement  from  behind  the  scenes.  He  bid  a 
sad  farewell  to  His  friends  and  disciples  and  re- 
turned to  the  monastery,  in  the  East,  with  the 
Magi. 

From  the  monastery,  Jesus  aided  in  the  work 
of  the  new  movement  until  after  the  Council  of 


THE  ESOTERIC  CHRIST  239 

Nice.  From  that  time  He  merely  appeared  to, 
and  aided,  the  deserving  few — for  the  Church  had 
ceased  then  to  be  His  vehicle.  Through  His 
knowledge  of  Alchemy  He  continued  to  live  and 
to  use  that  physical  body  for  one  thousand  years, 
remaining  at  the  monastery.  Then  His  body  be- 
came so  etherealized  that  He  ascended  to  the  sub- 
jective realm — Heaven — to  remain  there  until  the 
closing  days  of  this  cycle,  now  so  near  at  hand, 
when  He  will  redeem  His  promise  and  return  to 
the  elect.  His  real  followers. 

That  He  knew  He  would  have  both  ostensible 
and  real  followers  at  the  end  of  the  Piscine  Age 
is  shown  by  His  words : 

**By  their  fruits  shall  ye  know  them.  Not 
every  one  that  saith  unto  me,  Lord,  Lord,  shall 
enter  into  the  Kingdom  of  Heaven;  but  he  that 
doeth  the  will  of  my  Father  which  is  in  Heaven. 

**Many  will  say  to  me  in  that  day.  Lord,  Lord, 
have  we  not  prophesied  in  thy  name?  and  in  thy 
name  have  cast  out  devils  1  and  in  thy  name  have 
done  many  wonderful  works? 

**And  then  will  I  profess  unto  them,  I  never 
knew  you;  depart  from  me,  ye  that  work 
iniquity. ' ' 

So  far  the  mythical  Jesus  has  been  contrasted 
with  Jesus,  the  Mystic,  but  the  life  of  every  re- 
ligious reformer  must  necessarily  be  a  typical  one ; 
symbolizing  the  evolutionary  life  of  man.  For 
this  reason  there  is  a  similarity  in  the  history,  and 


240  FRAGMENTS  OF  TRUTH 

tradition,  of  all  the  world's  saviours.  The  life  that 
each  of  them  symbolized  is  that  of  the  Esoteric 
Christ.  The  Esoteric  Christ  is  the  Subjective 
Mind  of  each  man — the  Son  of  God — '*  very  God 
of  very  God,  begotten  not  made,  being  of  one 
substance  with  the  Father  " — the  first  begotten 
— the  primal  emanation. 

r  Each  Subjective  Mind  came  from  Heaven  where 
j  it  was  one  with  God  and  incarnated  as  man,  in 
/  man — the  Objective  Mind. 

I  The  Objective  Mind  of  man  is  a  product  of  this 
A  planetary  evolution — of  the  earth,  earthy. 
I  Through  the  slow  stages  of  many  animal  incar- 
j  nations  on  earth  it  gradually  evolved  a  better 
\  brain  and  body  until  it  stood  upon  two  feet ;  then, 
\  by  its  own  efforts,  it  could  not  rise  higher  in  the 
\  scale  of  being,  and  looked  to  God  for  a  Saviour 
I  who  would  redeem  it — for,  ^*  nature  unaided 
(fails." 

And  God  sent  a  Saviour — a  Christus — a  Subjec- 
tive Mind  to  each  Objective  Mind  to  raise  it  up. 
**Kjiow  ye  not  that  ye  are  Sons  of  God  and  heirs 
to  eternal  life?" 

After  its  incarnation,  each  Son  of  God — Subjec- 
tive Mind — is  tempted  to  forget,  or  forego,  its  mis- 
sion. It  is  tempted,  by  its  material  vehicle — Ob- 
jective Mind,  Satan — to  use  its  force  and  know- 
ledge to  gain  **all  the  Kingdoms  of  the  world 
and  the  glory  of  them. ' ' 
But  if  it  is  true  to  its  trust,  then,  by  its  teach- 


THE  ESOTERIC  CHRIST  241 

ings,  its  example,  and  its  patient  persistent  ef- 
fort, life  after  life,  it  spiritualizes  the  lower,  or 
Objective  Mind. 

The  oldest  symbol  of  humanity  is  the  cross, 
meaning  the  descent  of  spirit  into  matter.  It  is 
the  ^* crucifixion"  of  the  divine  in  the  material 
for  the  redemption  of  the  material. 

When  the  conquest  of  the  self  is  made — the  con- 
quest of  the  Objective  by  the  Subjective  Mind — 
then  is  the  crucifixion  over;  then  is  the  Son  of 
man  redeemed  and  the  unified  Ego  can  thenceforth 
manifest  the  potencies  of  divinity  and  is  ready  to 
** ascend  into  Heaven" — ^the  subjective  realm — 
from  whence  it  came. 


CHAPTER  THIRTEEN 

INFINITE  INTELLIGENCE — GOD 

When  this  great  Period  of  evolution  began,  there 
were  but  two  Principles  in  the  Universe.  One, 
the  Infinite  Intelligence,  desiring  expression,  and 
the  other,  the  Infinite,  out  of  which  Infinite  In- 
telligence had  come. 

Within  Infinite  Intelligence  there  were  two 
primal,  active  forces  and,  both  of  these  were  com- 
posed of  infinitesimal  particles  of  vibrating  force, 
which  may  now  be  called  atoms.  One  of  these 
forces  was  constructive  and  the  other  was  de- 
structive. The  atoms  composing  the  constructive 
force  rotated  from  left  to  right,  but  the  atoms  that 
composed  the  destructive  force  rotated  from  right 
to  left. 

The  force  that  was  to  be  constructive,  during 
this  period  of  evolution,  was  composed  of  such 
atoms  as  had  evolved  through  experiences  gained 
in  many  other  evolutionary  periods;  while  the 
destructive  force  was  composed  of  atoms  that  had 
not  had  so  many  experiences,  in  other  periods, 
were  of  a  lower  rate  of  vibration,  and,  therefore, 
were  of  an  inferior  order.  But  all  the  atoms 
which  composed  the  two  forces  had  been  ex- 
pressed in  forms,  before  this  period,  and  were  now 

242 


INFINITE  INTELLIGENCE  243 

again  seeking  more  experiences  for  further  ex- 
pression. 

These  two  primal  forces  could  be  compared  with 
two  great  streams  of  water  passing,  in  opposite 
directions,  through  a  vast  cloud  of  unresisting, 
motionless  vapor,  and  this  vapor  may  be  called 
the  unmanifested,  Infinite  Principle. 

The  unmanifested,  Infinite  Principle  is  bound- 
less. It  never  has  been  expressed  in  forms,  but, 
in  the  eons  to  come,  it  will  be  expressed,  as  the 
primal,  destructive  force  needs  reinforcement. 

There  never  was  a  form  made  that  was  posi- 
tively and  entirely  on  the  constructive  side  of 
Nature  until  the  atoms,  of  which  it  was  composed, 
had  previously  passed  through  inharmonious  con- 
ditions and  had  been  changed  from  the  destruc- 
tive to  the  constructive  side.  And  so  it  is 
that  the  constructive  force  is  constantly  absorbing 
from  the  destructive  force,  or  current,  such  atoms, 
or  particles,  as  are  ready,  by  reason  of  their  past, 
unpleasant  experiences,  as  destructionists,  to 
change  their  inharmonious  vibrations  and  begin 
service  in  the  constructive  force.  And  the  de- 
structive force,  to  prevent  its  diminution,  is  re- 
inforced by  absorbing  into  itself,  from  the  vast 
cloud  of  non-resisting  negative  vapor,  a  sufficient 
amount  of  that  vapor  to  enable  it  to  continue  its 
work  in  the  evolutionary  scheme. 

The  natures  of  the  two  great  primal  forces  are 
diametrically  opposed.     The  nature  of  the  con- 


244  FRAGMENTS  OF  TRUTH 

structive  force  is  to  attract  atoms  into  forms.  The 
nature  of  the  destructive  force  is  to  disintegrate 
forms.  The  first  force  is  positively  evolutionary, 
the  second  force  is  negatively  devolutionary ;  and 
each  operates,  according  to  its  nature,  and  suc- 
ceeds in  its  efforts,  according  to  its  strength,  or 
power. 

And  thus  Infinite  Intelligence  is  composed  of 
two  natures,  the  higher  and  the  lower,  the  con- 
structive and  the  destructive,  and  both  are  neces- 
sary, in  the  great  evolutionary  scheme,  since  there 
could  be  no  equilibrium  in  the  Universe  without 
the  operation  of  each. 

The  desire  to  attract,  or  to  accumulate,  is  con- 
ducive of  harmony  in  Infinite  Intelligence,  or 
Mind ;  and  the  desire  to  disintegrate  is  productive 
of  disharmony.  Harmony  is  happiness  and  is  sup- 
posed to  be  good,  while  disharmony  is  unhappi- 
ness  and  is  believed  to  be  evil,  yet  both  conditions 
are  expressed  by  Infinite  Mind  and  are  parts  of 
Its  nature. 

This  brings  the  conclusion  that  Infinite  Mind,  or 
Intelligence,  is  both  good  and  evil  and  that  It 
began  this  evolutionary  Period  with  both  aspects 
of  Its  nature  in  readiness  to  operate,  as  occasion 
required. 

There  is  no  waste  among  atoms  composing  In- 
finite Intelligence,  or  Mind,  since  nothing  can 
escape  from  the  Universe.  This  is  because  noth- 
ing can  get  beyond  Its  attracting  force,  which 


INFINITE  INTELLIGENCE  245 

operates  everywhere.  Forms  may  be  destroyed, 
and  atoms  may  be  dispersed,  to  remote  places,  but 
no  part  of  Infinite  Mind  can  be  lost. 

There  is  no  way  by  which  Infinite  Mind  can 
gain  experience  except  through  expression  of  It- 
self in  forms;  and  so  the  creation  of  forms  was 
the  first  step  of  progress  in  the  evolutionary 
scheme  of  Infinite  Intelligence,  or  Mind. 

Before  a  form  can  be  destroyed  it  must  first  be 
created ;  and  so  it  seems  that,  during  this  period 
of  evolution,  the  constructive,  or  creative  force,  of 
Infinite  Mind  began  to  operate  first,  and,  putting 
into  execution  Its  attracting,  or  constructive 
powers.  It  began  to  attract  some  of  Its  atoms  to- 
gether for  the  purpose  of  expressing  Its  thoughts 
in  material  forms. 

In  its  beginning,  a  form  is  an  expression  of  a 
thought  and  it  may  be  an  old  thought  in  a  new 
garb ;  and  so,  when  Infinite  Mind  began  thinking 
suns  and  worlds,  in  the  beginning  of  this  period  of 
evolution,  they  had  to  come  into  existence,  as 
forms,  and  take  their  respective  places  in  the 
Universe. 

That  those  creations  were  old  thoughts  in  new 
forms  must  be  realized,  since  they  could  not  have 
sprung  into  existence,  in  such  numbers  and  in 
such  perfection,  unless  the  thoughts  which  created 
them  had  been  clothed  before  in  similar  garbs. 

Infinite  Mind  had  created  cosmic  forms  in  pre- 
vious evolutionary  periods  and  was  again  repeat- 


246  FRAGMENTS  OF  TRUTH 

ing  Its  creations  on  a  larger  scale,  and  with  more 
perfect  expressions,  due  to  Its  knowledge  gained 
from  past  experiences. 

And  wlien  each  orb  had  been  established,  in  its 
proper  place,  in  Infinite  Intelligence,  and,  when 
the  machinery  of  cosmos  was  moving  regularly, 
and  without  friction,  then  Infinite  Mind  desired 
further  expressions  of  thought.  It  desired  that 
there  should  be  living,  moving,  breathing  expres- 
sions of  Itself. 

It  had  clothed  the  hills  of  Its  worlds  with  ver- 
dure ;  and  It  had  decorated  the  plains  and  valleys 
with  trees  and  flowers  and  grasses.  Springs  of 
cool,  delicious  water  gushed,  or  trickled,  from  the 
mountainsides,  or  sprang  from  beneath  the  rocks 
on  the  plains,  or  in  the  valleys.  Some  of  the  trees 
and  shrubs  bore  fruit,  in  their  seasons,  and  the 
Earth  brought  forth  roots  and  herbs  that  were 
good  for  food  and  medicines.  There  were  fish 
swimming  in  the  seas,  and  lakes,  and  rivers,  and 
all  these  were  the  material  expressions  of  some  of 
the  thoughts  of  Infinite  Mind  that  had  been  eons 
in  the  process  of  creation.  Each  created  thing  was 
now  fulfilling  its  mission  and  was  obeying  the  laws 
that  Infinite  Mind  had  made  for  it ;  and,  still,  un- 
satisfied, it  wished  for  more  experiences.  It  de- 
sired that  Its  thoughts  of  determination,  respon- 
sibility, persistency  and  strong  individuality 
should  also  be  expressed  in  forms.  And  then  the 
birds  and  fowl  were  made,  and  were  imbued  with 


INFINITE  INTELLIGENCE  247 

the  desire  to  mate  and  to  reproduce  their  forms, 
and  to  be,  each,  responsible,  for  a  season,  for  the 
welfare  of  its  family. 

After  the  fowl  and  the  birds,  then  came  the  ani- 
mal forms  and  they  also  were  imbued  with  all  the 
thoughts  that  Infinite  Mind  had  expressed  in  birds 
and  fowls,  and,  added  to  these  animal  minds,  were 
the  desires  for  greater  powers  of  endurance  and 
for  more  physical  strength. 

During  the  ages  that  passed,  while  Infinite  Mind 
was  expressing  Itself  in  the  various  forms  of  birds 
and  animals.  Its  destructive  force  began  to  mani- 
fest. Different  natures  were  developed,  as  the 
results  of  necessity,  and  of  the  different  experi- 
ences of  Infinite  Mind.  There  were  new  aspects 
of  thought  which  produced  different  conditions, 
and  different  modes  of  living.  In  Its  desire  to 
express  strong  individuality,  among  the  birds  and 
animals,  the  destructive  force  obsessed  the  minds 
of  some  of  the  creatures,  and  birds  of  prey  and 
carnivorous  beasts  were  evolved.  These  crea- 
tures were  the  direct  results  of  some  of  the  in- 
harmonious thoughts  which  Infinite  Mind  some- 
times expressed;  for  there  were  the  two  forces, 
equally  active,  in  Infinite  Mind,  and  each 
force,  being'  a  part  of  It,  had  to  manifest 
in   forms. 

And  so  it  was  there^in  the  animal  Kingdom,  that 
the  struggle  between  the  constructive  and  de- 
structive forces  of  Infinite  Mind  began,  in  this 


248  FRAGMENTS  OF  TRUTH 

period  of  evolution,  and  both  forces  have  been 
manifesting  ever  since. 

Ages  passed  while  Infinite  Mind  was  working 
in  the  animal  kingdom  and  then  came  a  time  when 
It,  still  unsatisfied,  desired  to  express  Itself  in  a 
higher  form.  It  desired  a  form  with  a  better  brain 
made  of  finer,  more  rapidly  vibrating  atoms — 
since  further  possibilities  of  evolvement  had  now 
been  exhausted  in  the,  then,  existing  brain  of  the 
four-footed  creatures. 

It  must  evolve  another  form  that  could  and 
would  respond  to  higher  thoughts  than  those  of 
procreation  and  of  reproduction  of  itself.  This 
new  form  and  brain  must  not  only  contain  all  the 
instincts  of  the  animal,  but  it  must  possess  more 
than  these ;  and  then  a  form  was  made  that  stood 
upright  and  walked  upon  two  feet  instead  of  four, 
and  Infinite  Mind  imbued  this  brain  with  more 
mind,  from  Itself,  and  finite  mind,  or  man,  was 
born.  With  these  new  forms  for  Infinite  Mind's 
expression,  another  age  began. 

In  external  appearance,  this  new  creation  dif- 
fered very  little  from  many  other  animal  forms. 
It  walked  upright,  when  not  excited,  and,  like 
many  other  animals,  was  covered  with  a  thick  coat 
of  coarse  dark  hair.  Its  skin  also  was  coarse  but 
not  so  thick  as  were  the  skins  of  some  of  the  other, 
larger  animals.  Its  nose  was  not  so  long,  and  its 
face  and  head  were  more  expressive  of  intelli- 
gence.   It  had  hands  with  fingers  and  feet  with 


INFINITE  INTELLIGENCE  249 

toes,  instead  of  claws  and  hoofs,  but  its  in- 
stincts were  animal-like  and  its  disposition 
fierce. 

Constructiveness  and  destrnctiveness  were  both 
manifested  in  its  nature,  with  the  destructive  force 
predominant ;  and  it  was  of  a  strong  individuality- 
possessing  prodigious  physical  strength.  Every- 
thing considered,  this  new  form  was  an  advance- 
ment made  in  the  evolvement  of  an  animal  form, 
and  possessed  much  greater  possibilities. 

With  the  birth  of  this  new  creation  began  a 
diminution,  in  size,  of  other  large  animal  forms; 
and,  gradually,  the  mammoth  creatures  that  had 
roamed  this  earth  began  to  disappear.  This  was 
because  the  creative  force,  of  Infinite  Mind,  was 
producing  more  intelligent  creatures  now;  for  It 
had  learned  that,  through  more  forms  and  brains, 
greater  and  more  valuable  experiences  were  to  be 
gained,  than  through  large  forms  with  less  brains. 
It  had  also  learned  that,  to  move  many  smaller 
forms,  required  less  force  than  to  move  one  large 
one ;  and  here  came  the  first  lesson  in  economy,  of 
force,  for  Infinite  Mind. 

Infinite  Mind  had  not  reached  perfection,  in  all 
Its  parts,  when  It  began  Its  work,  on  the  morn- 
ing of  this  great  Period  of  evolution;  nor  has  It 
reached  perfection  yet,  nor  will  It  ever  reach  per- 
fection— so  far  as  can  be  seen  today.  For,  what 
seemed  to  be  perfection  once,  is  imperfection  now ; 
and,  so  long  as  Infinite  Mind  remains  unsatisfied, 


250  FRAGMENTS  OF  TRUTH 

and  desires  greater  and  more  experiences  for  ex- 
pression of  Itself,  there  will  be  no  end  to  Its 
evolvement  and  Its  perfected  states  will  always  be 
comparative. 

When  Infinite  Mind  created  the  human-animal 
form  and  brain,  It  bestowed  upon  it  the  power  to 
think  more  clearly  than  had  any  of  Its  previous 
creations  done.  The  molecular  vibrations  of  this 
new  brain  were  greater,  and  its  thoughts  were  pos- 
sible of  being  more  constructive  and  creative, 
than  were  those  of  any  other  brain.  It  had  a 
finite  mind  in  contradistinction  to  an  animal  mind, 
and  it  became  a  link  in  the  evolutionary  chain 
which  binds  the  animal  to  the  Infinite.  One  of  the 
duties  of  this  finite  mind  is  to  train  the  animal 
mind  to  a  higher  state  of  consciousness ;  and,  since 
there  were  no  more  animal  minds  to  be  created,  on 
this  earth,  after  finite  mind  was  born,  this  task 
is  not  an  overwhelming  one. 

But  it  was,  and  is,  a  responsibility  added  to 
finite  mind,  that  has  not.been  given  to  any  animal 
mind;  and  it  is  a  responsibility  for  which  finite 
mind  will  be  held  accountable  to  Infinite  Mind. 
But,  responsibilities  are  necessary  to  the  develop- 
ment of  reason  and  of  good  judgment,  and  finite 
mind  needed  that  responsibility  and  will  need 
many  more,  as  time  goes  on. 

Simultaneously  with  Its  beginning  to  economize 
Its  forces.  Infinite  Mind  began  using  the  same 
animal  minds  again  and  again  in  newly  created 


INFINITE  INTELLIGENCE  251 

forms.  This  was  done  in  order  that  all  possibili- 
ties of  development  should  be  exhausted,  in  one 
form,  before  that  animal  mind  should  pass  on  into 
another.  And  so,  incarnation  was  followed  by 
reincarnation,  in  the  animal  kingdom,  and  the 
evolvement  of  animal  minds,  to  higher  states  of 
consciousness,  began. 

The  greatest  crime,  in  all  the  Universe,  that  can 
be  committed  against  Infinite  Mind,  is  persistent 
and  continued  retrogression.  This  crime  brings 
annihilation,  or  reabsorption  of  an  individual 
mind  back  into  the  Infinite.  This  is  the  one  great 
sin  for  which  there  is  no  forgiveness,  and  absolute 
mental  death,  as  an  individual  mind,  awaits  the 
perpetrator.  But  it  is  only  the  finite  mind  who 
can  commit  this  crime  since  it  alone  has  absolute 
free  will  which  gives  it  the  power  to  choose  what 
it  will  do.  The  animal  has  not  free  will,  and 
therefore  cannot  make  an  evolutionary  choice  for 
itself.  Its  progress  is  controlled  by  Infinite  Will; 
and  it  is  forced  onward  and  upward  from  the 
lowest  state  of  consciousness,  or  expression,  step 
by  step,  from  incarnation  through  reincarnation, 
until  it  has  evolved  to  where  it  may  use  the  human- 
animal  form  and  brain.  And,  even  then  it  may 
not  choose  what  it  will  do ;  and  not  until  intuition, 
a  spiritual  attribute  bestowed  upon  it,  by  In- 
finite Mind,  has  come  to  lead  it,  has  it  the  power 
to  choose  its  path. 

To  avoid  a  retrogression,  or  even  an  appear- 


252  FRAGMENTS  OF  TRUTH 

ance  of  it,  in  any  form,  Infinite  Mind  compels 
the  incarnating  animal  mind  to  repeat  again  and 
again  its  experiences  in  every  form  of  expression 
that  it  uses.  Never  going  backward  for  any 
cause,  whatever,  but  always  pushing  onward  to 
higher  forms.  For  it  is  the  essence  which  has 
been  retained  from  the  most  important  experi- 
ences of  animal  mind,  in  all  the  various  forms 
that  it  has  used,  which  makes  the  animal  mind 
evolve. 

This  essence  cannot  be  called  a  memory,  since 
the  incidents  which  produced  it  are  forgotten ;  but 
there  has  been  awakened  in  its  mind  a  fear  of 
disaster,  which  followed  the  commit4:ing  of  certain 
acts,  and  thus  it  was  that  fear  became  an  in- 
stinctive element,  that  helped  to  control  the 
animal's  behavior. 

Some  one  has  said  that  **  self-preservation  is 
the  first  law  of  nature."  This  is  true;  but  the 
element  of  fear  is  always  the  direct  cause  for 
the  acceleration  of  movement  which  leads  the 
animal  mind  in  that  direction. 

Ages  passed  and  finite  mind  progressed  and 
grew  in  power.  Its  thought  creations  also  grew 
in  numbers  and  in  strength.  Where  once  it  had 
been  satisfied  with  caves  and  hollow  trees  for 
habitations,  it  now  desired  more  commodious 
homes;  and  where  once  each  finite  mind  had 
served  itself,  it  now  desired  to  be  served;  and 
such  minds  as  were  strongest  and  most  positive, 


INFINITE  INTELLIGENCE  253 

imposed  their  thoughts  upon  the  weaker  and  less 
magnetic  minds  and  made  them  slaves. 

Slavery  is  the  material  manifestation  of  the 
results  of  selfish  thoughts  and  of  indolent  desires. 
In  essence,  it  is  dishonesty ;  since  it  demands  that 
something  shall  be  given  in  exchange  for  nothing 
to  be  received.  It  works  in  opposition  to  the  law 
of  reciprocity  and  originated  in  the  lowest  realm 
of  the  selfish  finite  mind.  It  provides  a  rapid 
means  by  which  a  strongly  individualized  mind 
may  make  accumulations  of  material  things,  and, 
in  this  respect,  aids  that  mind  in  expressing  its 
cupidity;  but,  eventually,  it  brings  mental  and 
physical  degeneration;  since  it  provides  a  means 
of  gratifying  that  mind  in  its  indolent  desires. 
Slavery  removes  the  necessity  for  the  slaveholder 
to  think  or  to  act  for  himself,  and  stultification  is 
the  result  of  mental  and  physical  inactivity. 
Slavery  also  provides  a  means  to  gratify  the 
desire  to  rule,  and  to  be  obeyed  by  other  minds ; 
and  it  is  here  that  the  enslaving  finite  mind, 
through  gratification  of  its  selfishness,  becomes  a 
monarch,  feared,  or  hated,  by  other  minds  accord- 
ing to  the  way  it  rules  them. 

Anciently,  when  finite  minds  were  in  their  in- 
fancy, the  enslaving  mind  had  the  power  to  create, 
or  to  destroy,  human  forms  according  to  its  will. 
And,  because  such  power  rested  in  a  single  in- 
dividual, that  ruling  mind  became  an  uncontrolled 
master  of  cruelty  who  killed,  or  tortured,  any  liv- 


254  FRAGMENTS  OF  TRUTH 

ing  thing,  within  the  realm  it  ruled — if  it  desired 
so  to  do.  For,  everything  that  lived  within  that 
realm  belonged  to  it.  Every  child  born  to  it,  or 
to  its  subjects,  was  its  slave;  and,  to  enlarge  its 
realm  and  to  acquire  more  slaves,  its  own  pro- 
creative  powers  were  sometimes  overdone.  Then 
it  was  made  a  crime,  punishable  with  death,  for 
any  female,  finite  mind  to  refuse  to  bring  forth 
children ;  and  it  mattered  not  how  ill  she  was,  or 
how  wretched  were  her  surroundings,  motherhood 
was  forced  upon  her  annually  as  it  is  upon  stock 
by  stock  breeders  of  today. 

It  was  in  that  barbaric  age  that  the  present 
thought  originated  that  female  finite  minds  are 
giving  glory  to  God,  by  multiplying  and  replenish- 
ing the  earth  with  human-animal  forms.  And  the 
feeble-minded  creatures,  as  well  as  the  laboring, 
suffering  millions,  of  finite  minds  who  starve  and 
slave,  for  just  enough  to  live  and  breathe  today, 
are  the  results  of  ancient  slavery  days  when  one 
finite  mind  ruled  all  other  finite  minds  in  its  com- 
munity. 

In  ancient  days  this  cruelty  to  mothers  was  per- 
petrated in  order  that  the  ruler  then  should  have 
more  slaves  and  more  possessions,  and  should 
grow  richer  and  more  powerful  through  the  labor 
of  the  hands  and  feet  of  all  the  finite  minds  it 
owned.  Now  the  belief,  that  female  finite  minds 
must  still  continue  to  bring  forth  children  in 
large  numbers,  is  due  to  the   same  old  selfish 


INFINITE  INTELLIGENCE  255 

thought  which,  like  the  shadows  of  the  past,  rests 
upon  the  Church  and  State  today.  For,  under- 
neath, and  cunningly  hidden  from  the  casual  ob- 
server, are  now  the  same  greedy  thoughts  which 
actuated  ancient  monarchs  in  their  desire  for 
slaves.  The  Church  wants  more  devotees,  to  sup- 
port its  priests  and  its  institutions,  and  the  State, 
or  Nation,  wants  supporters  for  its  officers  and  its 
armies.  So,  now  as  then,  the  female  finite  minds 
are  impressed  that  they  must  bear  the  burdens  of 
giving  birth  to  more  children  than  they  can  pro- 
vide for. 

The  demand  made  for  war  brides  through  which 
the  State,  or  Nation,  could  replenish  its  losses  to 
its  armies,  was  evidence  of  that  same  selfish 
thought.  And  the  fight  against  birth  control,  that 
State  and  Church  are  making,  is  another  evidence. 

It  is  not  the  fear  of  God's  displeasure  which 
actuates  those  finite  minds,  who  frantically  and 
furiously  oppose  a  law  which  makes  it  possible  for 
fewer  but  more  highly  developed  finite  minds  to 
be  born;  but  it  is  the  fear  of  a  loss  of  prestige, 
of  power,  and  of  wealth  to  those  who  control  the 
destinies  of  the  hordes  of  ignorant  finite  minds, 
who  serve  the  rulers  of  both  Church  and  State. 

In  ancient  times  the  ruling  finite  mind  was  not 
always  satisfied  with  the  obedience  and  abject  ser- 
vitude of  its  slaves.  It  wanted  to  be  worshipped ; 
and  here  was  where  the  first  idea  of  a  God  came 
into  the  finite  minds  of  the  enslaved.    The  slaves 


256  FRAGMENTS  OF  TRUTH 

were  told,  and  accepted  the  tale  as  true,  that  the 
ruler  of  their  tribe  was  a  superior  being,  who 
was  to  be  revered  as  well  as  feared.  And  here 
originated  the  belief  in  the  divine  right  of  Kings. 
The  enslaved  believed  their  ruler  was  their  god 
and  everything  that  happened  to  the  tribe,  for 
which  they  did  not  understand  the  cause,  came 
through  the  power  of  their  god  and  ruler.  And 
so  long  as  no  misfortunes  came,  and  all  went  well, 
this  pretending  finite  mind  was  worshipped.  But 
when  the  destructive  force  of  Infinite  Mind  began 
its  disintegrating  work  among  them,  and  their 
god  and  ruler  began  to  suffer  with  his  slaves,  then 
the  first  doubts  arose  among  some  of  the  enslaved 
and  the  god  and  ruler  found  that  some  sort  of  an 
explanation  must  be  made  to  save  him  from  a  loss 
of  prestige. 

When  drouth,  or  flood,  or  fire,  destroyed  the 
possessions  of  their  god,  and  when  disease  had 
made  that  god  as  miserable  as  themselves,  the  in- 
fluence of  that  ruling  finite  mind  began  to  wane; 
and  then  the  tale  was  told  to  them  that  these  mis- 
fortunes were  the  results  of  the  work  of  another 
god,  who,  though  invisible,  also  had  the  power  to 
destroy — one  who  was  wholly  evil  and  therefore 
must  be  propitiated.  That  something  must  be 
given  it,  or  it  would  ruin  every  one  and  every- 
thing— that  it  had  been  sleeping  and  had  now 
awakened  hungry. 

This  statement  satisfied  the  ignorant  enslaved 


INFINITE  INTELLIGENCE  257 

finite  minds,  since  they,  themselves,  had  often 
wakened  hungry  and  had  been  angrily  disposed. 
And  so  they  offered  sacrifices  to  this  new  god  of 
evil.  They  brought  to  it  the  things  they  liked 
best  to  eat,  and  the  things  they  liked  best  to  have ; 
and  here  originated,  in  ignorant,  enslaved,  finite 
minds  a  belief  in  the  power  of  the  devil.  And  so 
it  was  that  the  visible  results,  of  the  operation  of 
the  invisible  force  of  the  destructive  power  of 
Infinite  Mind,  were  attributed  to  the  expressions 
of  an  angry  god  of  evil  who  wanted  sacrifices. 
And  so  that  mythical  personage,  Satan,  or  the 
devil,  was  created  by  finite  mind  itself;  and 
throughout  all  the  ages,  that  have  intervened,  be- 
tween that  remote  past  and  the  present  time,  the 
devil  has  been  feared  and  propitiated  by  ignorant 
finite  minds. 

With  all  religions  and  in  every  portion  of  this 
earth,  the  devil  has  held  an  equally  prominent 
place  with  God;  and  a  greater  power  has  some- 
times been  accredited  to  the  god  of  evil,  by  re- 
ligionists, than  they  gave  to  the  God  of  good. 
This  was  quite  natural,  since  the  destructive  force 
of  Infinite  Mind  destroys  what,  to  the  ignorant 
finite  minds,  seems  good;  and  they  do  not  know 
that  old  conditions  must  be  destroyed  in  order 
that  new  and  better  ones  may  be  created. 

Sometimes  this  destructive  force  of  Infinite 
Mind  has  been  described  as  an  individual  being 
who  had  the  power  to,  not  alone  tempt  and  ruin 


258  FRAGMENTS  OF  TRUTH 

character,  but  to  actually  abduct  finite  minds  and 
bodies  and  carry  them  away  to  the  realms  it 
ruled.  With  some  religionists,  it  seemed  an  in- 
tangible, mental  force,  or  consciousness,  which 
they  called  ** mortal  mind,  or  error,''  and  it  was 
believed  to  have  the  power  to  penetrate  into  the 
innermost  parts  of  finite  mind,  to  tempt  and  to 
mislead  it. 

Other  religionists  believed  there  were  many 
devils,  that  one  could  not  be  doing  destructive 
work  everywhere  at  the  same  moment;  and  they 
multiplied  their  one  original  god  of  evil  into  many, 
and,  still,  there  were  scarcely  enough  to  account 
for  all  the  destruction  that  was  done. 

But,  whether  the  beliefs  were  ancient,  or  mod- 
ern, all  believers  agreed  that  there  must  be  a 
way  to  either  propitiate,  or  cheat,  the  god  of  evil ; 
.and,  since  it  was  first  discovered,  finite  minds 
have  been  searching  for  a  way  to  get  the  better 
of  it.  And  still  the  destructive  force  of  Infinite 
Mind  continues  Its  work  with  them,  and  with 
their  possessions. 

"When  ancient  finite  minds  who  ruled  communi- 
ties and  tribes  learned  how  easy  it  had  been  to 
shift  the  results,  of  their  ignorance  and  their 
helplessness,  to  another  god ;  and  when  they  had 
learned  how  to  distract  the  attention  of  their 
slaves  and  subjects,  from  their  own  machinations, 
to  something  or  some  one  else,  they  conceived  the 
plan  to  hide  their  personal,  selfish,  brutal  desires 


INFINITE  INTELLIGENCE  259 

behind  the  thing  they  called  a  government;  and, 
summoning  to  their  aid  such  finite  minds,  as  could 
be  used  by  them  to  do  their  bidding,  they  gave 
them  names  and  titles  and  decorations.  They  be- 
stowed upon  them  the  things  they  did  not  want 
themselves,  gave  to  each  some  trivial  thing  to  do ; 
and  an  aristocracy  was  created — a  representative 
government  was  supposed  to  have  been  estab- 
lished. 

The  next  move  made,  to  get  a  stronger  hold 
upon  their  subjects,  was  to  arouse  a  sentiment  in 
the  tribe,  or  nation,  which  would  drive  those  en- 
slaved finite  minds  to  suffer  and  to  sacrifice  every- 
thing they  possessed,  even  their  lives,'  for  the 
preservation  of  their  ruler  and  their  government, 
and  then  something  that  is  now  called  patriotism 
was  born. 

This  sentiment  among  the  slaves  and  subjects 
made  it  possible  for  rulers  to  declare  war  upon  a 
neighboring  tribe,  or  nation,  for  a  cause,  or  with- 
out one;  and,  blindly  following  all  orders  given 
by  their  rulers,  or  by  the  aids  appointed  by  their 
rulers,  those  frantic  slaves,  imbued  with  a  hyp- 
notic frenzy  that  had  been  put  upon  them  by  their 
priests,  or  rulers,  went  forth  to  battle  and  to  be 
slaughtered  by  the  thousands. 

It  is  the  same  old  spirit  manifesting  now  that 
manifested  in  ancient  times.  The  ruler  of  a  nation 
and  the  small  circle  of  finite  minds  who  compose 
its  aristocracy,  look  greedily  upon  another  na- 


260  FRAGMENTS  OF  TRUTH 

tion,  whose  progress  in  efficiency  and  whose  gain  of 
material  wealth,  it  wishes  to  absorb.  Some  triv- 
ial thing  occurs;  perhaps  an  aristocrat  is  killed, 
by  a  subject  of  the  nation  whose  wealth  is  coveted. 
Or  perhaps  a  ship,  belonging  to  the  covetous  na- 
tion is  sunk;  and  either  of  these  occurrences  is 
believed  to  be  a  sufficient  cause  for  war. 

'* Remember  the  Maine!"  becomes  the  war  cry 
of  a  nation ;  and,  by  making  use  of  such  an  occur- 
rence, the  populace  of  a  whole  nation  is  driven 
into  a  frenzy  of  excitement. 

Then  the  greedy,  finite  minds  who  rule  the  na- 
tion, fan  those  emotional  flames  of  fury  into  a 
tremendous  conflagration  by  permitting  a  sub- 
sidized press  to  take  up  the  war  cry;  and,  with 
scare  headlines,  and  horrible  pictures,  work  upon 
the  imagination  of  the  frenzied  populace.  From 
both  stage  and  pulpit,  is  sent  the  thought  of  war. 
Millions  of  yards  of  moving  picture  films  depict 
the  battles  of  the  past,  as  suggestions,  to  arouse 
the  fighting  blood  of  the  fighting  subjects  of  the 
nation,  and  finally  war  is  declared. 

Husbands  and  fathers  leave  their  families  to 
suffer  from  cold  and  hunger.  Sons  forsake  their 
aged,  helpless  mothers,  making  them  dependent 
upon  the  grudging  charity  of  the  town,  or  city, 
where  they  live.  With  aching  hearts  and  tearful 
eyes,  sweethearts  separate  not  to  meet  again  and 
all  because  the  rulers  of  the  nations  demand  these 
sacrifices  in  th^  name  of  patriotism. 


INFINITE  INTELLIGENCE  261 

And  what  is  patriotism! 

Will  thinking,  finite  minds  ever  stop  fighting 
long  enough  to  learn  the  real  meaning  of  that 
word? 

Is  the  nation  that  invades  another  nation,  for 
conquest,  patriotic! 

Because  the  ruler  of  a  nation,  in  his  egotism 
and  selfishness,  believes  himself  to  be  the  chosen 
one  of  Infinite  Mind,  is  it  patriotic  for  the  finite 
minds,  who  compose  that  nation,  to  go  to  battle 
in  order  that  their  ruler  may  get  the  control  of 
another  nation,  that  has  the  same  rights  to  free- 
dom that  they  have  ? 

What  fantasies  are  these! 

How  much  have  finite  minds  evolved  since  they 
were  tribes  instead  of  nations! 

There  is  an  unwritten  law  which  says :  destruc- 
tion destroys  itself ;  which  is  another  way  of  say- 
ing that  like  attracts  like,  and  when  an  animal,  or 
a  finite  mind,  begins  a  destructive  career,  it  at- 
tracts to  itself  the  great  primal  destructive  force 
of  nature,  and  this  force,  sometimes,  like  a  flood, 
surrounds  and  completely  submerges  that  in- 
harmonious mind.  It  brings,  for  that  mind's 
selection,  all  the  disintegrating  thoughts  it  had 
absorbed  from  other  destructive  minds. 

This  destructive  force,  of  Infinite  Mind,  is  like 
a  broad,  deep,  dirty  waterway  that  is  crowded 
with  boats  of  all  kinds  and  descriptions.  Each 
boat  that  persists  in  sailing  there,  becomes  laden 


262  FBAGMENTS  OF  TRUTH 

with  destructive  things ;  and,  as  the  boats  meet  and 
pass  each  other,  some  of  their  cargoes  are  ex- 
changed. But,  soon  or  late,  each  boat  becomes 
overladen  with  the  evil  things  it  carries,  and, 
through  collision  with  another,  or  by  its  inability 
to  carry  its  load  further,  it  goes  down  into  the 
depth  of  that  destructive,  disintegrating  force, 
and,  through  corroding  influences,  loses  its  form 
forever. 

In  proportion  to  its  power,  the  operation  of  the 
law  of  attraction,  as  directed  by  Infinite  Mind,  pro- 
duces creations  more  numerous,  and  varied,  than 
are  the  creations  of  finite  minds.  This  is  due  to 
the  fact  that  the  limitations,  produced  by  indi- 
vidual selfishness  and  egotism,  do  not  operate  in 
Infinite  Mind.  Infinite  Mind  creates  forms  only 
for  Its  temporary  expression.  It  knows  that  Its 
forms  are  temporary  and  regards  them  as  such, 
while  finite  minds  create  forms  which  they  hope 
and  believe  will  be  permanent. 

However  beautiful,  or  desirable,  a  creation  may 
be,  it  is  impossible  for  it  to  become  a  permanency 
in  nature,  or  the  Universe.  For,  even  the  so- 
called  eternal  hiUs  must  sometime  crumble  and 
give  way  before  that  invincible,  disintegrating,  de- 
structive Infinite  force  which  levels  the  mountains, 
elevates  the  plains,  and  grinds  the  rocks  into 
powder. 

Nothing  can  stand  forever  before  that  force  and 
retain  its  original  form,  because  it  is  the  de- 


INFINITE  INTELLIGENCE  263 

structive  aspect  of  Infinite  Mind.  Suns  may  bum 
for  what  seems  to  be  eons  to  finite  minds.  The 
moon  and  stars  may  reflect  their  light  for  ages. 
The  planets  may  swing  in  space,  following  their 
orbits  and  fulfilling  their  missions,  for  millions  of 
years.  Comets  may-  appear  and  disappear; 
meteors  may  blaze,  and  burst,  and  fall :  but  there 
comes  a  time  when  all  these  creations  of  Infinite 
Mind,  like  the  incandescent  lamps  made  by  finite 
minds,  will  flame  up  and  go  out,  extinguished  by 
that  overpowering,  reactionary,  disintegrating 
force  which  eventually  destroys  all  forms  every- 
where in  the  Universe. 

Infinite  Mind  loves  Its  expressions  of  thought, 
only  so  long  as  they  are  actively  useful  instru- 
ments for  It  to  use.  Because  they  have  served  It 
once.  Infinite  Mind  does  not  waste  time,  or  space, 
in  preserving  worn-out,  useless  things. 

When  an  instrument,  through  crystallization,  or 
lack  of  magnetic  power,  becomes  a  clod  in  the 
Universe,  it  is  destroyed  and  its  atoms  are  used 
to  create  a  better  and  a  more  powerful  form,  one 
that  will  be  more  efficient  in  the  evolutionary 
scheme.  For,  in  proportion  to  the  way  nature 
hates  a  vacuum  and  fills  it,  so  Infinite  Mind  abhors 
uselessness  and  destroys  it. 

During  the  period  of  Its  activity.  Infinite  Mind 
will  have  action  in  the  Universe.  It  will  not 
tolerate  drones  in  Its  great  hive  of  energy.  Prog- 
ress and  production,  from  all  Its  forms  of  thought 


264  FRAGMENTS  OF  TRUTH 

expressions,  are  required.  Progress  and  produc- 
tion, combined,  compose  the  driving  force  of  the 
edict  that  went  forth  throughout  all  space  on  the 
morning  of  this  great  Day  of  evolution ;  and  prog- 
ress and  production  will  be  required  of  every  indi- 
vidualized center  in  the  Universe  until  the  great 
night  comes  on  and  Infinite  Mind  rests. 

It  is  only  to  the  finite  mind  that  forms  seem 
to  be  eternal,  and  this  is  because  it  wants  them 
to  be.  For,  finite  mind  clings  to  the  things  it 
loves  to  look  upon,  and  to  possess,  and,  for  a  sea- 
son, becomes  completely  submerged  in  them.  It 
dwells  too  long  in  its  own  creations,  and  this  is 
because  it  admires  and  loves  them  too  much.  It 
does  not  wish  to  escape,  but,  of  its  own  free  will 
becomes  a  slave  to  its  own  material  things.  When 
this  is  true  of  finite  mind,  it  becomes  so  circum- 
scribed, by  its  possessions,  that  it  is  limited  by 
them,  and  no  longer  expands  beyond  the  limita- 
tions it  has  made  for  itself. 

It  resents  disturbances  and  wishes  to  be  left 
alone  with  its  creations,  as  they  are.  This  condi- 
tion is  due  to  its  fears  and  its  lack  of  foresight. 
Like  the  child  in  the  dark,  it  does  not  know  what 
the  future  has  in  store  for  it,  and  fears  v/hat  it 
does  not  understand. 

In  contradistinction  to  Infinite  Mind,  it  is  so 
satisfied  with  its  own  creations,  that  it  continu- 
ally tries  to  preserve  them.  It  regrets  past  efforts, 
that  have  failed,  and  mourns  for  departed  friends. 


INFINITE  INTELLIGENCE  265 

and  things,  that  have  been  taken  away.  It  is  sorry 
for  itself  and  becomes  discouraged  when  its  crea- 
tions fail  to  do  its  bidding.  It  is  selfish  where 
Infinite  Mind  is  selfless.  It  is  penurious  with  its 
productions  where  Infinite  Mind  is  lavish  in  Its 
distribution  of  forms.  Finite  mind  hurries,  be- 
cause it  does  not  know  that  the  time,  for  its  crea- 
tions, is  unlimited,  and  it  worries  because  it  does 
not  know  that  it  can  accomplish  all  it  undertakes 
to  do,  if  it  will  but  persevere  in  its  efforts. 

The  finite  mind,  as  compared  with  Infinite  Mind, 
is  sometimes  like  a  salt-water  slough  that  has  been 
separated  from  the  sea.  By  the  continued  wash- 
ing of  sand  and  debris,  there  has  been  made  a 
temporary  barrier  between  the  sea  and  the  slough. 
The  greater  the  barrier  grows,  and  the  longer  it 
exists,  the  more  isolated  and  impure  the  slough 
becomes,  until  it  finally  loses  all  resemblance  to  its 
source;  and,  if  it  has  not  within  it  a  spring  of 
pure,  fresh  water  to  increase  and  to  clarify  it, 
then  it  becomes  a  stagnant,  slimy  pool,  filled  with 
all  sorts  of  degenerate  and  dying  things,  that  be- 
come an  unmitigated  offence  to  the  senses. 

It  is  the  barriers  that  are  created,  and  allowed 
to  stand,  between  Infinite  and  finite  minds,  that 
cause  the  limitations  to  the  finite ;  and  those  bar- 
riers are  made  of  various  kinds  of  mental  states. 
Sometimes  they  are  deceitf ulness,  anger  and  lust ; 
sometimes  they  are  selfishness,  and  fear  of  indi- 
vidual loss;  for  the  finite  mind  desires  to  get 


266  FRAGMENTS  OF  TRUTH 

things  rather  than  to  be  good.  It  wishes  to  have, 
and  to  hold,  what  it  thinks  it  possesses.  It  does 
not  know  that  with  the  ebb  and  flow  of  the  tide  of 
Infinite  Mind,  all  that  goes  out,  in  one  day,  will 
be  replaced  by  something  fresher  and  better  the 
next.  And  so,  with  its  greed  to  possess,  more  and 
more,  and  with  its  fear  of  losing  what  it  has,  it 
builds  the  barrier  higher  and  stronger,  between  it 
and  its  source  of  supply  and  then  becomes  angry, 
or  unhappy,  in  its  belief  that  the  Infinite  Mind  has 
forsaken,  or  is  afflicting,  it. 

Sometimes  the  element  of  self-appreciation  be- 
comes so  prominent,  in  a  finite  mind,  that  it  be- 
comes very  vain  of  its  small  successes.  Egotism 
always  grows  out  of  too  much  self-esteem,  and, 
with  every  added  new  possession,  it  becomes  more 
and  more  convinced  that  it  is  a  stronger  and  a 
more  efficient  mind  than  any  other.  Soon  it  bcr 
comes  imbued  with  the  desire  to  direct  other 
minds,  and  to  rule  their  bodies.  It  wishes  to  make 
others  subservient  to  its  will  and  begins  by  giving 
directions  to  others.  It  assumes  the  position  of 
self-appointed  director,  or  dictator,  over  the  af- 
fairs of  other  minds,  and,  after  many  reincarna- 
tions, it  may  become  a  King,  or  a  Queen,  or  a 
President. 

Many  experiences  are  required  in  many  differ- 
ent forms  of  expression  before  a  finite  mind  may 
become  the  ruler  of  a  nation;  but,  where  there  is 
a  strong  will  to  do  a  thing,  a  way  will  always  be 


INFINITE  INTELLIGENCE  267 

found ;  and,  after  many  struggles  and  failures,  the 
desired  position  will  be  gained.  Then  comes  the 
belief  that  the  zenith  of  honor  and  preferment 
has  been  reached,  that  there  is  nothing  higher,  or 
greater,  to  be  had  by  finite  mind.  It  believes  its 
powers  and  possessions  are  established  as  su- 
preme; and,  becoming  filled  with  pompous  satis- 
faction, it  begins  to  crystallize,  unless  it  finds  that 
somewhere  there  is  another  finite  mind  who  is  at- 
tempting to  do  what  it  has  done. 

Then  comes  the  desire  for  conquest.  The  dis- 
appointment and  chagrin  of  finding  itself  not  the 
absolute  ruler,  of  the  destinies  of  all  other  minds, 
fills  it  with  jealousy.  Eesentment  and  bitterness 
come  and  flood  it  with  the  determination  to  pos- 
sess and  to  control  other  nations,  and  to  depose 
their  rulers. 

Sometimes,  in  its  egotism  and  ignorance,  it 
becomes  imbued  with  the  belief  that  it  was  born 
to  be  an  instrument  of  Infinite  Mind ;  to  crush  any 
living  thing  that  stands  upright  in  opposition  to 
itself  and  to  its  desires.  So  it  works  its  little 
self  into  a  frenzy  of  what  it  calls  patriotic  en- 
thusiasm. 

It  orders  its  subjects  to  appear,  in  audience, 
and  lectures  them  upon  the  subject  of  patriotism. 
It  declares  that  Infinite  Mind — God,  is  with  it  in 
all  its  thoughts  and  purposes.  With  flashing  eyes 
and  thunderous  tones  it  promises  its  subjects  that 
it,  and  God,  will  conquer  every  other  finite  mind 


268  FRAGMENTS  OF  TRUTH 

on  land,  or  sea,  and  make  them  all  subservient 
to  it. 

Paradoxically  it  calls  upon  the  Infinite  Mind 
to  become  its  battle  god,  and  to  help  its  human 
warriors  to  crush  all  finite  minds,  who  rule  where 
it  would  like  to  rule,  and  who  possess  what  it 
would  like  to  have. 

This  greedy,  selfish  egotist  would  make  a 
servant  of  the  power  it  pretends  to  worship,  and 
orders  it  about  as  if  it  were  a  corporal's  guard. 
It  dares  to  command  Almighty  God  to  serve  it  in 
its  selfish  purposes  and  directs  its  Creator  to 
help  it  slay  its  fellow-men. 

Just  why  it  claims  such  servitude  from  Infinite 
Mind,  may  be  quite  obscure  to  other  finite  minds ; 
but  the  fact  remains  it  does.  And,  if  by  force  of 
arms  and  by  a  greater  cunning,  this  greedy  finite 
mind  succeeds  in  its  designs,  and  gains  its  ends 
and  purposes,  then  it  makes  the  boast,  and  justi- 
fies itself,  by  saying  that  it  was  Infinite  Mind — 
God — ^who  perched  Itself  upon  the  standards  and 
the  banners  of  its  conquering  armies,  and,  through 
brutal  bloodshed  and  terrific  suffering,  helped  it 
to  win  the  victory. 

And  should  that  murderous  finite  mind,  with- 
out restraint  or  interruption,  continue  in  its  career 
of  bloodshed  for  possession,  then  every  other  finite 
mind  would  lose  its  independence  and  become  its 
slave.  There  would  be  no  peace,  no  progress, 
nor  any  freedom  anywhere  for  other  finite  minds. 


INFINITE  INTELLIGENCE  269 

That  conquering  mind,  with  military  force,  would 
rule  all  other  minds  and,  machine  like,  every  mind 
under  its  bondage  would  be  compelled  to  think 
and  act  and  live,  to  please  its  ruler ;  and  that  rul- 
ing mind,  self-satisfied  and  strong,  would  become 
so  crystallized,  in  its  conceit,  that  it  could  not 
expand  beyond  the  limitations  it  had  created  for 
itself.  But  imbued  with  a  desire  to  possess,  there 
would  be  no  limit  to  what  it  would  acquire.  It 
would,  indeed,  become  the  Emperor  of  this  world. 
But,  before  that  selfish  triumph  could  be  attained, 
would  come  the  disintegrating,  repelling,  destruc- 
tive force  of  Infinite  Mind,  as  an  equilibratory  in- 
fluence, and  begin  its  work. 

Unexpected  things  would  occur.  A  blight  would 
fall  upon  the  crops,  and  food  would  become  scarce 
for  those  whom  that  egotist  ruled.  Disease  would 
appear  in  its  military  camps  and  warriors  would 
disappear  before  its  ravages.  Fires  and  floods 
would  destroy  its  munitions  of  war,  and  the  mills 
producing  them.  Ships  which  should  bring  relief 
would  be  sunk  and  all  their  cargoes  would  go  to 
feed  the  fishes.  Earthquakes  and  tidal  waves 
would  destroy  the  abiding  places,  of  warriors' 
wives  and  children,  and  an  unaccountable  and 
paralyzing  fear  of  approaching  evil,  would  come 
upon  the  finite  minds  of  all  the  warriors  who  had 
been  left  to  fight  upon  the  battlefields,  without 
their  old  companions.  They  would  lose  their  cour- 
age and  their  energy  and  then,  to  each  and  every 


270  FRAGMENTS  OF  TRUTH 

finite  mind  who  would  be  bearing  the  burdens  of 
the  war,  the  thought  would  come : 

''What  are  you  fighting  for?" 

And  when  that  questioning  thought  was  passed 
from  mind  to  mind  the  warriors  would  whisper 
to  themselves  and  to  each  other: 

''What  are  we  fighting  for?" 

And  soon  that  same  questioning  thought  would 
come  to  that  egotist,  the  finite  mind,  who  had 
planned  the  war,  and  it  would  then  be  forced  to 
recognize  the  futility  of  further  effort  to  conquer 
other  finite  minds,  or  to  enslave  them. 

Then,  in  the  stillness  of  a  night,  when  it  was  all 
alone  with  Infinite  Mind  surrounding  it,  a  picture 
of  the  past  would  appear  and  pass  before  it  as  if 
it  were  a  funeral  train.  That  finite  mind  would 
see  every  incident  that  had  occurred  during  its 
present  form  of  expression.  Slowly  those  pictures 
would  pass,  one  after  the  other,  as  every  incident 
in  one's  life  passes  by  the  mental  vision  of  one 
whose  soul  is  being  required;  and  there,  written 
in  the  Book  of  Judgment  and  held  up  for  that 
finite  mind  to  read,  would  be  shown  how  greed,  and 
envy,  and  desire  for  power,  had  colored  all  its 
vision  and  had  fashioned  all  its  judgment — how 
self-appreciation  had  grown  into  vanity  and  vanity 
into  a  supreme  conceit. 

With  sadness,  that  finite  mind  would  see  how  it 
had  prevented  millions  of  other  finite  minds  from 
working  out  their  destinies,  as  they  would  have 


INFINITE  INTELLIGENCE  271 

done,  uninfluenced  and  uninflamed  by  its  passion- 
ate desire  for  power.  It  would  see  the  tiny  forms 
of  expression,  of  finite  minds,  who  had  not 
reached  maturity  and  who  had  been  robbed  of  their 
immediate  future  experiences.  And  then  it  would 
remember  that  all  those  cruel  things  had  been  done 
at  its  command. 

All  the  outrages  that  had  been  conamitted  by  its 
warriors,  and  all  the  crimes  that  had  been  per- 
petrated against  their  unhappy  victims  had  been 
approved  by  it.  And,  bowing  its  head  in  sor- 
rowful humility,  it  would  be  compelled  to  say : 

**For  all  these  things,  0  God,  I  am  to  blame." 
And  the  contrition  felt  by  that  egotist,  that  would- 
be  conqueror  of  the  world,  would  show  that  prog- 
ress had  been  made  in  its  evolvement,  since 
compassion  and  contrition,  two  of  the  highest  emo- 
tions that  finite  minds  may  feel,  are  attributes 
only  of  the  evolving,  finite  mind. 

And  in  a  like  manner  will  the  destructive  force 
of  Infinite  Mind  demolish  all  State,  Church,  So- 
cial and  Political  combinations,  after  they  have 
done  their  constructive  work  and  have  crystallized 
into  unyielding,  unbending,  unprogressive  insti- 
tutions. 

So  long  as  the  Church  was  imbued  with  the  spirit 
of  love,  and  so  long  as  its  members,  and  its  priests, 
were  filled  with  compassion  for  each  other  and  for 
all  mankind,  great  draughts  of  Infinite  love  and  in- 


272  FRAGMENTS  OF  TRUTH 

spiration  were  being  drawn  into  it;  and  it  was  a 
living,  throbbing,  soulful  thing  created,  and  main- 
tained, for  the  uplifting  of  the  hopeless,  helpless 
souls  who  came  to  it  for  refuge  and  relief. 

When  men  and  women  worshipped  God,  on  the 
banks  of  a  stream,  and  in  the  woods ;  when  their 
meeting  places  were  beneath  the  blue  vault  of 
heaven  and  among  the  flowers  and  the  birds,  their 
hearts  were  tender  with  love  and  sympathy,  in- 
spired by  the  Infinite  constructive  force :  then  they 
were  evolving  upward  and  onward,  mentally  and 
spiritually.  But,  when  desire  for  individual  ag- 
grandizement crept  into  the  hearts  of  some  of  the 
members  of  those  simple  organizations ;  when  one 
of  their  members  began  to  plan  how  he  could  make 
a  living  for  himself  and  for  his  family,  at  the 
expense  of  all  the  other  members,  then  the  Infinite 
destructive  force  began  to  manifest  as  individual 
selfishness,  and  the  bonds  of  love  and  sympathy 
which  had  united  those  friends  and  brothers  began 
to  disintegrate. 

But,  even  then,  all  members  of  that  small  society 
were  not  selfishly  inclined.  There  were  those  whose 
hearts  were  filled  with  love  and  who  were  willing 
to  make  sacrifices  for  each  other,  and  even  for  the 
one  who  wished  to  receive,  and  not  to  give.  And 
so  the  constructive  force  still  continued  to  exceed 
in  power  the  destructive  force  and  the  organiza- 
tion still  continued  to  attract  new  members  and  to 
grow  in  usefulness. 


INFINITE  INTELLIGENCE  273 

After  that,  came  the  desire  for  Church  posses- 
sions. The  small  society  wished  to  have  a  home, 
an  abiding  place  of  its  own.  The  fields  and  woods 
were  no  longer  satisfying  to  some  of  its  members. 
There  must  be  builded  an  edifice,  and  sacrifices 
must  be  made,  by  all  the  members,  to  build  a 
Church. 

And  then,  with  hearts  full  of  love  and  devotion 
toward  their  beloved  Society  and  toward  each 
other,  and  with  the  belief  that  their  meetings 
would  be  more  productive  of  good,  to  all,  if  they 
were  to  be  held  within  walls  and  beneath  a  roof, 
they  began  the  creation  of  a  Church  building. 
And  here  the  Infinite  destructive  force  began 
manifesting,  as  individual  selfishness,  again,  when 
some  of  the  members  of  that  small  Society  saw 
an  opportunity  to  gain  a  benefit  by  taking  charge 
of  the  building  of  that  new  Church,  and  by  con- 
trolling the  funds  provided  for  its  construction 
by  the  simple,  trusting  members  of  the  So- 
ciety. 

And  here,  again,  graft  and  greed  appeared,  and, 
like  the  serpent  in  the  Eden  Garden  of  the  sup- 
posed originators  of  the  human  race,  raised  their 
selfish  heads  and  declared  that  this  was  an  oppor- 
tunity for  some  one  to  acquire  an  individual  bene- 
fit at  some  one  else's  expense.  And  here  was 
where  Church  trustees  and  treasurers  were  made. 

In  the  beginning  of  the  disruption  of  a  Society, 
Church  or  State,  it  is  the  Infinite  destructive  force 


274  FRAGMENTS  OF  TRUTH 

that  tempts  the  leaders,  and  those  having  au- 
thority, to  be  dishonest.  And  this  destructive 
force  may  be  called  by  any  name,  and  its  effects 
upon  finite  minds  may  be  condemned  as  evil,  or 
it  may  be  condoned  and  called  unfortunate.  It 
exists  because  it  must;  and  it  will  continue  to 
affect  finite  minds  until  they  have  become  harmo- 
nious and  constructive  in  all  their  parts.  Then 
there  will  be  no  sympathetic  vibrations  between 
the  Infinite  destructive  force  and  such  developed 
finite  minds ;  and  then  cyclones  may  pass  them  by, 
and  they  will  be  unscathed  by  fire,  or  flood,  by 
earthquakes,  or  by  pestilence;  for,  imbued  with 
Infinite  constructive  power,  a  protecting  wall  of 
harmonious  vibrations  will  surround  each  finite 
mind  who  dwells  in  peace  and  love  within  It. 

When  the  Infinite  Constructive  force  was  creat- 
ing the  heavens  and  the  earth.  It  created  the  min- 
eral and  vegetable  kingdoms  and  established  them, 
within  and  upon  the  world,  which  was  to  become 
the  abiding  place  of  finite  minds  and  of  ani- 
mals. 

These  two  kingdoms  were  made,  not  alone  for 
decorative  purposes,  but  also  to  serve  for 
food  and  medicines.  It  was  out  of  Itself  that 
the  substance  came  to  make  all  things  that 
ever  existed,  and  therefore  there  is  not  one  blade 
of  grass,  or  weed,  or  clod  of  earth,  or  stone,  or 
anything  that  can  be  seen  that  is  not  a  part  of 


INFINITE  INTELLIGENCE  275 

Infinite  Mind,  in  some  stage,  or  grade,  of  develop- 
ment. 

The  atoms,  that  compose  the  minerals  and  the 
earth,  are  not  so  far  advanced,  in  their  develop- 
ment as  are  the  atoms  used  to  make  the  flowers, 
grass  and  trees.  But  there  are  essences  in  every 
mineral,  and  in  the  earth,  which  plants  may  draw 
upon  which  give  them  life  and  strength  and 
beauty.  For,  in  the  laboratory  of  nature,  the 
constructive  force  of  Infinite  Mind  works  con- 
stantly to  bring  the  lower  higher,  that  new  forms, 
for  Its  expressions,  may  be  made. 

It  is  the  soul  essence  of  the  mineral  lead,  the 
lowest  and  most  poisonous  of  all  the  metals  in  the 
earth,  that,  when  combined  with  the  essence  of 
common  salt,  produces  iron  ore.  And  it  is  the 
soul  or  essence  of  the  iron  ore  when  combined 
with  the  essence  of  mercury  that  makes  the  dia- 
mond. 

And  so  it  is  that  in  the  dark,  damp  earth,  away 
from  the  sunshine  and  pure  air,  and  hidden  from 
the  gaze  of  finite  minds.  Infinite  Mind  works  con- 
stantly, pulverizing  and  separating,  extracting 
and  combining  Its  mineral  creations  to  bring  them 
into  higher  and  better  and  more  beautiful  forms., 
Then,  out  of  those  apparently  lifeless  minerals. 
Infinite  Mind  brings  upward  into  the  roots  of 
flowers,  shrubs  and  trees  the  mineral  essences  that 
give  to  them  a  strength  and  beauty  as  wonderful 
as  are  in  the  diamond,  the  ruby,  the  sapphire,  the 


276  FRAGMENTS  OF  TRUTH 

emerald  and  in  all  other  precious  and  semi- 
precious stones. 

Gold  and  silver,  copper  and  tin  each  are  the 
products  of  a  combination  of  the  essences,  or 
souls,  from  lower  mineral  forms.  And  it  is  some 
of  these  same  essences  which,  when  absorbed  from 
foods  and  medicines,  give  health  and  strength  to 
animals  and  men. 

But  there  are  finite  minds  who,  in  their  limita- 
tions, caused  by  their  ignorance  of  the  laws  which 
govern  life,  refuse  a  knowledge  of  these  truths. 
They  ignore  the  handiwork  of  Infinite  Mind  in 
nature,  or,  denouncing  it,  they  call  it  ^*  error," 
and  try  to  relegate  it  to  the  realm  of  *  ^mortal 
mind" — wherever  that  may  be.  But,  closing  eyes 
to  truth,  or  denying  its  existence,  does  not  destroy 
the  truth;  and  he  who  shuts  himself  away  from 
sunlight,  neither  destroys  the  sun  nor  extinguishes 
its  light,  but  only  deprives  himself  of  that  which 
sunlight  gives  to  everything  that  looks  upon  it, 
and  lives  within  it;  and  the  finitjmind  is  ignorant, 
indeed,  who  does  not  know  that  Infinite  Mind 
creates,  composes,  controls  and  is  a  part  of  every 
material  expression  of  Itself,  within  the  Universe. 
And,  whether  that  expression  be  above,  below  or 
on  a  parallel,  with  finite  minds,  it  is  a  part  of 
Infinite  Mind  and  its  value  is  determined  by  its 
usefulness. 

As  a  scrap  of  rusty  iron  may  be  thrown  back 
into  the  melting  pot  of  the  smelter,  to  be  cleansed 


INFINITE  INTELLIGENCE  277 

of  rust  and  dirt,  so  are  finite  minds  forced  back 
again  and  again  into  the  melting  pot  of  experi- 
ence, by  Infinite  Mind,  to  be  purified  and  cleansed 
of  their  imperfections ;  for  nothing,  in  all  the  Uni- 
verse, is  lost  or  wasted.  It  is  but  the  individual 
forms  of  expression  of  Infinite  Mind,  that  are 
moulded  and  re-moulded  to  suitably  express  the 
essences,  or  souls,  within  them. 

When  Infinite  Mind  created  animal  and  human 
forms.  It  used  again  the  atoms  that  had  been  com- 
bined before  in  mineral  and  vegetable  forms  and 
essences ;  and  this  is  why  animal  and  human  bodies 
contain,  in  blood,  bone  and  tissue,  the  same  ele- 
ments that  are  found  in  minerals  and  in  plants. 

It  was  many  hundred  years  ago  that  ancient  wise 
men  learned  this  truth,  and  students  of  the  Occult 
laws  of  nature  have  been  working  ever  since  to 
demonstrate,  to  other  finite  minds,  this  knowledge. 
Analogy  and  research  have  shown  these  students 
that  there  are  but  three  primal  elements  that  enter 
into  the  composition  of  mineral,  vegetable  and 
animal  creations  and  these  three  elements  are  the 
souls,  or  essences,  of  salt,  sulphur  and  of  mercury; 
and  any  material  form  of  expression  that  lacks 
one,  or  more,  of  these  three  essences,  in  proper 
proportions,  is  lacking  in  its  strength,  and  fails 
to  be  an  efficient  instrument  through  which  a  mind, 
or  soul,  may  be  expressed. 

And  so  those  ancient  wise  men  taught  their  stu- 
dents how  to  look  for  food  and  medicines  in  the 


278  FRAGMENTS  OF  TRUTH 

mineral  and  vegetable  kingdoms ;  and  how  to  ex- 
tract those  precious  essences  and  fluids,  and  how 
to  prepare  them  that  they  should  be  used  con- 
structively to  supply  the  needs  of  men  and 
animals. 

Experience  has  shown  that  there  are  essences 
constructive  and  essences  destructive  to  human 
and  animal  forms.  That  the  destructive  force  of 
Infinite  Mind  operates  in  the  mineral  and  vege- 
table kingdoms  as  does  Its  constructive  force ;  and, 
therefore,  finite  minds  who  are  on  the  constructive 
side  of  nature  do  not  use,  in  their  work  of  heal- 
ing, and  in  providing  food,  the  destructive  es- 
sences. 

The  physician  who  gives  his  patient  poisonous 
essences  is  not  constructive.  He  is  not  a  restorer, 
but  instead  is  a  destroyer  of  human  and  animal 
forms.  He  who  injects  into  the  veins  of  a  human 
being,  or  of  an  animal,  a  poisonous  essence,  for  the 
purpose  of  creating  harmonious  conditions  in  that 
body,  is  as  wise  as  was  the  man  whom  Mother 
Goose  described — he  who  *^  jumped  into  a  bramble 
bush  and  scratched  out  both  his  eyes.  And  when 
he  saw  his  eyes  were  out,  with  all  his  might  and 
main,  he  jumped  into  another  bush  to  scratch  them 
in  again."  Even  the  infantile  consciousness  can 
discover  the  futility  of  such  reckless  imbecility  and 
is  amused  by  it. 

There  are  physicians  who  claim  that  poisons  in 
the  human,  or  animal  system,  can  be  overcome  by 


INFINITE  INTELLIGENCE  279 

adding  other  and  more  powerful  poisons  to 
them. 

Is  a  broken  levee  mended  by  forcing  a  flood  of 
water  through  the  break?  Or  is  a  conflagration 
destroyed  by  adding  more  fuel  to  the  fire  1 

It  is  true  that  a  powerful  poison,  united  with  a 
weaker  poison,  may  change  the  expression  of  the 
lesser  one;  but  another  and  a  greater  inharmoni- 
ous condition  will  be  produced  by  the  combination. 
And  while  the  victim  may  appear  to  have  been 
cured  of  the  first  distressed  condition,  there  will 
follow  a  worse  one  produced  by  the  addition  of 
more  destructive  medicine. 

There  is  the  modern  surgeon  who  believes  in 
removing  every  organ  from  the  human,  or  animal 
body,  that  it  can  exist  without.  The  tonsils  must 
be  removed  to  prevent  tonsilitis.  The  vermiform 
appendix  must  be  removed  to  prevent  appendi- 
citis. The  uterus  and  ovaries  must  be  removed 
to  prevent  congestion,  nervousness  and  hysteria. 
A  stomach  must  be  removed  to  prevent  indiges- 
tion. A  kidney  must  be  removed  to  prevent,  or 
to  cure.  Bright 's  disease.  The  gall  bladder  must 
be  removed  to  prevent  gall  stones,  and  when  will 
they  remove  the  eyes  to  prevent  blindness? 

If  the  modern  wise(  ?)  men  would  study  the  work 
of  the  ancient  wise  men,  they  would  learn,  through 
their  investigations,  to  be  constructionists  instead 
of  destructionists.  They  would  learn  through 
their  investigations,  of  nature's  occult  secrets, 


280  FRAGMENTS  OF  TRUTH 

that  there  are  essences  that  may  be  extracted  from 
herbs  and  minerals  that  will  not  only  cure  every 
ill  that  a  man,  or  an  animal,  may  be  afflicted  with, 
but  they  would  learn  that  for  every  organ  in  the 
material  body  of  man  and  beast,  and  for  every 
nerve  center  and  for  every  gland,  there  is  a 
ganglia  in  its  brain  which  corresponds,  and 
through  which  the  mind  operates  to  control  those 
glands,  organs  and  nerve  centers.  And  they  would 
also  learn  that  when  any  of  the  various  parts  of 
the  human,  or  animal,  mechanism  have  been  re- 
moved and  there  is  nothing  for  the  corresponding 
ganglia  in  the  brain  to  do,  it  becomes  atrophied 
and  much  of  the  brain's  usefulness  to  the  mind  is 
lost  thereby. 

It  is  a  popular  belief  of  intelligent  individuals 
that  the  bodies  of  men  and  of  animals  reach  a  limit 
of  age  usefulness,  at  about  five  times  the  length 
of  time  required  to  reach  maturity.  But  ancient 
wise  men  demonstrated  the  fact,  by  their  experi- 
ences and  experimentations,  that,  by  judicious  and 
persistent  use  of  the  constructive  essences  con- 
tained in  minerals  and  plants,  the  life  and  useful- 
ness of  the  bodies  and  the  brains  of  men  and  ani- 
mals may  be  extended  much  beyond  the  limit  of 
age  put  upon  them  by  popular  belief. 

Is  it  because  modern  scientists  are  too  egotistic, 
too  self-satisfied  and  too  vain  of  the  infinitesimal 
fragments  of  information  and  misinformation  that 
they  possess,  that  they  do  not  search  further?    Or 


INFINITE  INTELLIGENCE  281 

is  it  because  there  may  be  no  money  to  be  made 
by  such  research?  It  is  true  that  real  wisdom  is 
at  a  discount,  these  days,  in  the  twentieth  cen- 
tury, and  perhaps  that  is  the  reason  scientists  do 
not  search  for  it. 


CHAPTER  FOURTEEN 

JUDGMENT  DAY 

Every  soul,  whether  upon  the  subjective  or  ob- 
jective plane  of  being,  is  now  just  where  it  has 
placed  itself;  and  there  is  neither  a  God,  a  man, 
or  a  devil  to  bless,  or  to  blame,  for  its  present 
condition.  And  when  men,  who  believe  them- 
selves the  unfortunate  victims  of  circumstances, 
see  and  realize  this  truth,  they  will  either  begin 
to  improve  their  mental,  physical  and  financial 
conditions,  or  give  up  the  struggle  for  evolve- 
ment. 

Waiting  for  dead  men's  shoes,  or  for  fairy  god- 
mothers, to  bring  wealth  and  honor  is  the  result 
of  mental,  or  physical,  laziness,  of  gross  ineffi- 
ciency, or  of  dense  ignorance  of  the  operations 
of  the  laws  that  govern  progress;  and  each  of 
these  defects  of  character  may  be  compared  to 
the  tying  of  a  mill-stone  to  the  neck  of  a  swim- 
mer. He  does  not  get  far,  however  great  his 
effort. 

Waiting,  for  something  to  turn  up,  is  deaden- 
ing to  energy  and  disappointing  to  hopes.  Time 
is  one  of  the  most  valuable  assets  an  evolving 
ego  possesses;  and  to  waste  it  in  waiting  for 

282 


JUDGMENT  DAY  283 

something  that  may  never  come,  is  a  crime  against 
the  soul. 

It  has  been  said  that  procrastination  is  the 
thief  of  time;  and  to  the  individual  who  knows 
the  value  of  time,  this  statement  is  one  of  the 
truest  things  he  ever  heard.  But  for  the  time- 
killer,  the  man  who  has  so  much  time  he  knows 
not  what  to  do  with  it,  procrastination  is  his  prin- 
cipal occupation.  It  is  true  he  never  attains,  but 
there  are  many  who  do  not  wish  to  attain  and 
prefer  stultification  because  it  is  easy  to  get. 

Then  there  is  that  miserable,  indefinite,  irre- 
sponsible, shifting  thing  called  bad  luck  that 
keeps  a  man  from  achieving. 

And  what  is  bad  luck?  Where  did  it  come 
from  and  who  created  it? 

It  must  have  had  a  cause,  since  nothing  in  the 
Universe  came  into  existence  without  one.  It  is 
true  there  are  individuals  who,  from  the  moment 
they  begin  cutting  their  baby  teeth,  pass  from  one 
calamity  into  another  and  their  so-called  misfor- 
tunes are  all  attributed  to  bad  luck. 

Then  there  is  the  man  who  shifts  the  cause  of 
his  misfortunes  to  the  stars.  He  says  he  has  had 
bad  luck  since  he  can  remember  anything,  and 
has  but  recently  discovered  the  cause;  that  his 
horoscope  shows  he  was  born  under  bad  astro- 
logical conditions;  and  it  has  been  the  stars  that 
have  kept  him  from  succeeding  in  life.  He  admits 
that  his  efforts  have  been  spasmodic,  because  he 


284  FRAGMENTS  OF  TRUTH 

had  to  watch  his  stars  to  avoid  the  accidents  and 
disasters  that  might  have  come  to  him. 

He  dared  not  start  a  business  venture  until  all 
his  good  planets  should  be  harmoniously  assem- 
bled in  his  mid-heaven,  or  in  some  other  equally 
benefic  position,  and  since  such  a  constellation, 
as  he  desires,  comes  in  a  man's  life  only  about 
once  in  thirty  years,  he  has  been  waiting  for  a 
long  time  for  the  right  astrological  conditions 
to  do  something  for  him.  In  the  meantime,  he 
has  been  too  busy  dodging  the  fiery  bolts  from 
Mars,  the  serpentine  thrusts  from  Saturn  and 
the  sledge-hammer  blows  from  Uranus,  to  make 
any  constructive  efforts  in  his  own  behalf. 

After  such  an  existence,  as  this  man  has  led, 
how  could  he  expect  anything  better  than  his 
present  poverty-stricken  condition? 

The  only  difference  between  him  and  he  who 
believes  himself  the  victim  of  just  plain  bad  luck 
is  this;  the  man  afraid  of  his  stars  thinks  he 
knows  the  cause  of  his  trouble  and  blames  the 
stars  for  it,  and  the  other  man  does  not  know  the 
cause  of  his  misfortunes  and  blames  everybody, 
but  himself,  for  them. 

The  Occultist  says  there  is  no  such  thing  as 
bad  luck — as  men  understand  the  term.  That  so- 
called  bad  luck  is  always  the  result  of  bad  judg- 
ment, or  of  a  transgression  of  law,  in  a  past,  or 
the  present,  life;  that  so-called  bad  astrological 
conditions,  in  this  life,  are  the  results  of  bad 


JUDGMENT  DAY  285 

judgment  and  the  consequent  mistakes  made  in  a 
former  life;  that  effects  must,  and  will,  follow 
causes,  and  laws  transgressed,  either  ignorantly, 
or  wilfully,  bring  unavoidable  results.  He  also 
says  a  progressive  ego  will  not  wait  for  any- 
thing, or  for  anybody,  to  do  things  for,  or  to  give 
things  to  it ;  but  gets  up  and  goes  after  whatever 
it  wants,  regardless  of  stars  and  conditions.  And 
if  it  has  a  sufficient  amount  of  determination  and 
perseverance,  it  will  get  what  it  goes  after  and 
that  without  robbing  another.  But  if  it  has  not 
the  necessary  determination  and  perseverance 
required  for  performing  such  a  dynamic  feat,  then 
it  should  begin  at  once  to  cultivate  those  qualities 
until  they  are  gained. 

The  only  disgrace,  attendant  upon  labor,  is 
that  of  not  doing  it  well;  and  since  hands  and 
feet  and  brain  were  made  to  use  in  the  acquire- 
ment of  knowledge,  it  is  only  possible  for  a  soul 
to  gain  it  through  the  use  of  those  bodily  at- 
tributes. If  a  woman  is  afraid  of  soiling  her 
hands,  or  of  breaking  her  finger-nails,  she  will 
never  get  far  in  her  search  for  knowledge.  And 
if  a  man  is  content  to  let  some  one  else  do  the 
work,  and  then  tell  him  about  it,  he  will  never 
remember  what  he  has  been  told,  and  the  indi- 
vidual who  did  the  work  got  the  experience  that 
gave  him  the  knowledge  he  wanted. 

If  a  man  is  afraid  of  losing  his  rest  and  reposes 
comfortably  upon  his  bed  while  some  one  else 


286  FRAGMENTS  OF  TRUTH 

burns  the  midnight  oil,  in  an  effort  to  work  ont 
some  of  the  problems  of  life,  the  sleepy  man  will 
waken,  some  time,  to  find  himself  in  the  rear  of  the 
procession  while  the  man  who  used  his  brain  and 
his  oil  leads  it. 

And  since  it  is  either  fear,  or  laziness,  mental 
or  physical,  which  retards  and  possibly  destroys 
the  evolvement  of  an  ego,  and  since  it  is  in  one, 
or  both,  of  these  faults,  in  the  human  soul,  that  all 
other  bad  qualities  find  root,  the  first  work  the 
earnest  student  should  do  is  to  uproot  and  cast 
out  from  his  heart's  garden  those  two  obnoxious 
weeds,  fear  and  laziness. 

There  is  the  greedy  individual  who  wishes  to 
claim  for  his  own  the  fruits  of  the  labors  of  an- 
other. Mental  vanity  makes  him  crave  the  ad- 
miration and  the  homage  of  his  fellows — which  he 
knows  he  does  not  deserve.  He  wishes  to  pose 
for  what  he  is  not,  and  makes  claims  to  knowl- 
edge and  power  that  are  entirely  beyond  his  reach. 
Without  hesitancy,  he  paraphrases  another's  work 
and  gives,  as  his  own,  the  ideas  he  has  stolen. 
That  individual  is  as  great  a  thief  as  is  he  who 
steals  a  purse,  or  an  overcoat. 

The  Nazarene  Occultist  said,  **  Render  therefore 
unto  Caesar  the  things  which  are  Caesar's  and 
unto  God  the  things  that  are  God's."  And,  ac- 
cording to  the  same  principle,  be  sure  that  full 
credit  is  given  to  every  other  individual  for  what 
he  has  done.    Make  no  false  pretences,  for  he  who 


JUDGMENT  DAY  287 

poses  for  what  he  is  not,  by  his  own  pretensions, 
acknowledges  his  mental  and  spiritual  poverty 
and  his  dishonesty  shall  be  exposed ;  for  the  time 
is  here,  now,  when  every  individual  whether  he 
be  a  churchman,  a  statesman,  a  politician,  a  leader 
of  society,  or  a  common  laborer,  shall  be  known 
for  what  he  is  and  nothing  more. 

Because  of  the  iniquitous  manner  of  living,  the 
hands  of  the  Gods  are  being  laid  heavily  upon  the 
peoples  of  this  earth.  For  they  have  sinned  con- 
sciously and  wilfully  against  each  other,  and  have 
called  upon  God  to  help  them  in  their  sinning. 
They  have  set  apart  hours  and  days,  during  which 
time  they  have  made  prayers,  asking  God  to  aid 
them  in  killing  their  fellow-men;  and  they  have 
tortured  and  robbed  each  other. 

Through  the  force  of  arms,  they  have  taken 
away  that  which  they  could  not  replace,  or  re- 
store ;  and,  through  the  mandates  of  their  rulers, 
they  have  invaded  the  homes  and  have  destroyed 
the  happiness  of  those  helpless  to  resist  them. 

Through  their  desire  for  power  and  posses- 
sions, men  have  forgotten,  or  ignored,  the  rights 
of  others  and  have  ruthlessly  destroyed,  or  ap- 
propriated, for  their  own  selfish  purposes,  what- 
soever they  desired  to  have,  belonging  to  others. 

Piracy  has  been  practised  upon  the  land  and 
upon  the  sea,  but  the  day  of  reckoning  is  at  hand ; 
and  every  man,  woman  or  child,  who  has  aided  in 
sinning  against  another  man,  woman  or  child, 


288  FRAGMENTS  OF  TRUTH 

shall  pay  the  full  penalty  for  the  crime.  Retribu- 
tion individually  shall  come,  and  it  will  not  be  the 
sins  of  the  fathers  visited  upon  the  children  of 
any  other  generation  than  this,  but  it  will  be  the 
sins  of  each  individual  that  will  be  visited  upon 
himself. 

It  will  not  be  the  aggressors,  by  war  alone,  who 
will  meet  their  punishment  now,  but  it  will  be  the 
wife-beaters,  the  gamblers,  the  drunkards  and  the 
adulterers  of  both  sexes;  the  unfaithful  parents 
and  the  dishonorable  children.  It  will  be  those 
who  have  done  to  others  what  they  would  not 
have  done  to  themselves. 

Think  not,  those  who  have  been  blinded  by 
ignorance  and  selfishness,  that  justice  is  dead,  or 
that  one  individual  can  escape  the  consequences  of 
his  acts,  for  he  cannot. 

For  this  is  the  ** summing  up"  time  for  the 
lawyer  and  the  Judge.  It  is  the  *  *  cashing  in ' '  time 
for  the  banker  and  the  business  man;  it  is  the 
''evening  of  the  last  day  of  grace"  for  the  church- 
man, and,  for  all  other  individuals,  ''the  time  is 
up." 

And  those  who  have  not  transgressed  against 
another  will  be  helpless  to  aid  the  transgressor, 
or,  in  the  least  degree,  to  delay  or  prevent  his 
punishment.  And  those  who,  for  a  reason  or 
without  one,  attempt  to  protect,  or  to  conceal  the 
transgressor,  or  to  prevent  him  from  receiving  the 
consequences  of  his  acts  shall,  as  a  violator  of  the 


JUDGMENT  DAY  289 

law  of  justice,  be  punished  with  the  transgres- 
sor. 

From  the  hilltops  and  from  the  valleys,  from  the 
mountain  peaks  and  from  the  caverns,  on  the 
seas,  and,  from  the  river  bottoms,  will  come  the 
souls  that  must  be  judged.  From  the  palaces  and 
from  the  hovels,  from  the  barracks,  tents  and 
dugouts  will  be  summoned  souls  to  meet  their 
judgment.  And  there  will  be  no  human  witnesses 
needed  to  testify  either  for,  or  against,  each  soul; 
since  each  will  bring  the  pictures  made  by  his  own 
thoughts  and  acts. 

Upon  the  screen  that  he,  himself,  has  created, 
and  which  envelops  him  as  a  cloud,  are  printed 
every  act,  every  purpose  and  desire  both  fulfilled 
and  unfulfilled.  Every  hope  and  aspiration, 
every  resolution  made  and  broken,  will  be  seen  by 
those  who  read  and  judge  each  individual  soul. 
Then  there  will  be  no  caste,  or  class,  no  favored 
ones.  The  soul  whose  record  is  the  best  will  stand 
the  highest  and  will  receive  full  credit  for  all 
that  it  deserves. 

There  will  be  no  man-made  distinctions  then. 
The  King,  the  Queen,  the  priest,  the  nun,  the 
rich,  the  poor,  will  stand  alike  before  that  bar  of 
justice  and  the  questions  as^ed  will  be : 

**What  have  you  done  to  others?  What  meas- 
ure have  you  meted  to  your  fellows?  What  suf- 
fering have  you  caused!  What  happiness  have 
you  given?    What  has  your  influence  been  and 


290  FRAGMENTS  OF  TRUTH 

what  was  your  example?  Have  your  thoughts 
and  deeds  been  constructive,  or  destructive, 
and  which  predominated  in  number  and  de- 
gree?" 

For  it  is  not  alone  what  a  soul  believes  that 
raises,  or  lowers,  it  in  its  evolvement,  but  what  it 
does.  And  since  every  individual  mind  is  a  part 
of  the  great  Consciousness,  ever  seeking  indi- 
vidual experiences  through  expression,  whatever 
one  part  of  It  does  to  another  part  is  done  to  what 
men  call  God. 

When  the  Nazarene  said  '*  whatsoever  ye  have 
done  to  one  of  the  least  of  these,  ye  have  also  done 
to  me,"  he  taught  this  truth;  and  it  will  not  only 
be,  what  have  you  done  to  the  other  parts  of  the 
great  Consciousness,  who  have  reached  the  human 
stage  of  action  and  understanding,  but  it  will  also 
be  what  have  you  done  to  every  other  part  that  is 
coming  upward  toward  the  human  stage. 

It  is  the  individualizing  mind,  or  soul,  who 
thinks  independently  for  itself,  whether  it  be  that 
of  a  man,  or  of  an  animal,  who  will  be  held  ac- 
countable in  this  great  day  of  reckoning.  And 
every  thinking  soul  will  be  judged  according  to 
its  real  value  and  understanding. 

Then  the  leaners  will  be  deprived  of  their  props 
and  must  stand  for  themselves,  or  fall;  and  the 
individual  who  has  depended  upon  some  strong 
character,  to  assume  its  responsibilities,  will  be 
made  to  realize  that,  for  the  remainder  of  its 


JUDGMENT  DAY  291 

evolutionary  journey,  it  must  assume  its  own  re- 
sponsibilities and  solve  its  own  problems. 

After  those  days  of  Judgment  have  passed  there 
will  be  no  more  prayers  offered  to  God  in  which 
men  will  ask  that  they  be  made  to  do  their  duties. 
Men  will  not  ask  God  to  give  them  clean  hearts 
and  lofty  purposes,  because  they  will  then  know 
that  if  their  hearts  are  unclean  they,  themselves, 
must  purify  them;  and  if  their  purposes  are  not 
honorable,  then  they  must  make  them  what  they 
desire  them  to  be. 

And  men  will  also  understand  that  there  is  no 
God,  in  all  the  Universe,  who  will  remove  the  con- 
sequences of  their  mistakes;  but  every  mistake, 
whether  ignorantly,  or  wilfully,  made,  must  be 
paid  for  by  the  individual  who  makes  it. 

As  a  consequence,  for  a  time,  during  that  period 
of  judgment,  the  social  conditions  on  this  material 
plane  of  consciousness  will  be  chaotic.  As  it  was 
in  Cosmos,  during  the  fourth  period  of  this  Cosmic 
Day,  when  the  heavens  were  filled  with  blazing 
worlds  and  sulphurous  comets ;  and  when  the  suns 
were  but  unrestrained  centers  of  bursting,  flaming 
energy,  so  shall  it  be,  but  in  a  lesser  degree,  with 
the  social  conditions  on  this  material  plane.  For, 
as  it  is  above,  so  it  must  sometime  be  below. 

Then  the  artificiality  of  the  present  social 
fabric,  of  the  present  so-called  civilization,  will  be 
torn  into  shreds;  and,  as  the  dead  and  dying 
leaves  in  the  forest  are  driven  before  the  strong 


292  FEAGMENTS  OF  TRUTH 

winds  of  autumn,  so  shall  the  shreds  of  the  pres- 
ent social  fabric  be  scattered.  Then  will  come 
restoration  for  such  individuals  as  have  passed 
through  the  adjustment  period.  And  as  each 
world  and  sun  found  its  orbit,  in  the  Fifth  Cosmic 
Period,  and  as  out  of  chaos  came  order  and  har- 
mony, in  the  heavens,  then,  so  will  every  indi- 
vidual soul  find  its  place  and  do  its  work  without 
fear,  or  friction. 

And  there  will  be  real  brotherly  love  and  genu- 
ine friendships  in  those  days.  There  will  be  no 
need  for  Yale  locks,  or  burglar  alarms,  since  no 
man,  then,  will  covet  his  neighbor's  possessions. 
*^ Swords  will  be  beaten  into  plough  shares,''  and 
guns  will  be  melted  into  constructive,  instead  of 
destructive,  instruments. 

There  will  be  no  Courts  of  injustice  in  those 
days;  and  the  fighting  men,  who  have  come 
through  the  adjustment  period,  will  not  be  boast- 
ing of  the  number  of  men  they  have  killed;  but 
will  be  glad  to  forget  them,  and  have  others  forget 
that  they  ever  went  to  war;  and  there  will  be 
plenty  of  health  and  wealth  and  happiness,  for 
the  taking,  for  those  who  have  earned  them;  and 
the  new  Aquarian  cycle  of  evolution,  for  this 
world,  will  be  entered  into  with  peace  and  plenty 
for  all  who  have  passed  the  Judgment. 


INDEX 


INDEX 

Aaron— 47. 

Ability  Is  Self-acquired— 102. 

Abraham — 86. 

Abuse  of  Power  Brings  Retribution — 94. 

"  Accident  of  Birth  "—188. 

Acids  in  Body  Cause  Disease  and  Old  Age — 145. 

Adepts  Use  Thought  Bodies— 5,  29. 

Age — See  Aquarian  Age,  Arine  Age,  Piscine  Age. 

"       Consummation  of  the — 206. 
Agnosticism  Characteristic  of  Educated  Class — 209. 
Alchemy,  Actuality  of,  Proved  by  Paracelsus — 142-144. 
Essences— 275-281. 
"        Jesus'  Knowledge  of— 239. 
"        Taught  by  Rosicruclans — 138. 
"        Taught  in  Arabian  Schools — 136. 
"        Three  Aspects— 144. 
Alexandria— 127,  132. 

"  Arabian  School  and  Library  in — 136. 

Ambitions  Will  Be  Realized— 102. 
America,  Slavery  in — 98-100. 
Ammonius  Saccas — 130. 
Ancestral   Worship — 171. 
Ancients,  Lesser  Magic  of  the — 2. 
Angel— 89,   191. 

Angels,  Appeared  to   Mary — 222.     ' 

Animal  Bodies  Contain  Same  Elements  as  Minerals  and  Plants — 
277. 
"       Has  Not  Free  Will— 251. 
"       Mind — See  Mind,  Animal. 
Animals,  Diminished  in  Size — 249. 
Evolution  of— 246-249. 
On  First  Subjective  Plane— 184. 
"       Reincarnation  Among — 251, 

Will  Be  Held  Accountable— 290. 
Annihilation,  Death  Is,  View  of  Materialist — 15. 

"  Devolving  Egos  on  Way  to — 20,  187. 

"  Retrogression  Brings — 251. 

Taught  by  Buddhist  Priests— 131. 
Antioch — 127. 

Ants,  Communal  Appreciation — 153. 
Apocalypse  Interpreted  by  Joachim — 137.  ^ 

296 


296  INDEX 

Apollonius  of  Tyana— 36,  126. 
Apparition — See  Phantasm. 
Aquarian  Age— 68,  201-204,  219,  292. 

No  Temples  and  Priests  at  First  in— 207,  208. 
"  "      Teacher  Incarnated  Before  Beginning  of — 207. 

"      Teacher  Came  in  Nineteenth  Century — 207. 
Arabia— 134-137. 

"        Occult  Records  in^ — 93. 

Occultists  Went  to  Retreat  in,  in  1918—152. 
Archangel- 89,  191.  ^fc-^.^ 

Arians — 132. 

Arine  Age— 106,  121,  225,  227. 
Aristocracy,  Origin  of — 259. 
Aristotle,  Arabic  Text  of — 137. 
Arius— 132. 
Artemis — 122,   125. 

Astral  Plane — See  Subjective  Plane,  First. 
Astrological  Conditions  Blamed  for  Misfortunes — 283,  284. 
Astrology,  Taught  in  Arabian  Schools — 136. 
Atheism  Characteristic  of  Educated  Class — 209. 
Atlantis,  Exodus  from— 93-97,   100,   101. 
Atom  Described — 53,   54. 
"      Miniature  Dynamo — 64. 
"      Motions  of— 53,  54. 
"      Negative  Aspect  of — 53,  54. 
-  ,"      Positive  Aspect  of — 53,  54. 
Atoms  Compose  Deity — 57. 

"      Constructive  and  Destructive — 62,  242. 

"      Emitted  During  Activity  of  Body— 175,  176. 

"     Experienced  and  Inexperienced — 56,  57,  242. 

"      In  Animal  and  Human  Forms  Formerly  in  Mineral  and 

Vegetable  Forms  and  Essences — 277. 
"     In  Mineral  and  Vegetable  Kingdoms — 275. 
"     Mental  Plane— 60,  64. 
"     Negative — 56. 
"      Physical  Plane— 61,  63. 
"     Positive— 56. 
"      Spiritual  Plane— 59,  60. 
"     Vibrate— 53. 
At-One-Ment— 234. 
Atonement,  Vicarious — 210,  232. 

After-death  Condition  Not  Result  of— 189. 
"  "  Among  Athenians  and  Jews — 233. 

Attraction  Established  as  Permanent  Law — 76. 
Law  of— 58,   261,   262. 
"  Manifested   by   Centers — 61. 

Aura   Contains   Pictures    of    Past — 27. 
"      Indicates  Character — 12. 


INDEX  297 

Aura,  Man  Judged  by  Record  in — 289. 
"       Of  the  World~92,  183,  210. 
"      Vibration  of,  Lowered  by  Fear — 14. 
"  "  "    Raised  by  High  Cosmic  Forces— 17. 

Automatic  Writing — See  Writing,  Automatic. 
Avatars  Have  Taught  Reciprocity — 192.     See  Teachers. 
B.,  Teacher  of  Blavatsky— 215. 
Bagdad,  Arabian  School  and  Library  in — 136. 
B a Isamo,  "Impersonator  of  Cagliostro — 150. 
Banks  Will  Be  Owned  by  Government — 204. 
Baptism,  Meaning  of — 224.  .  ^ 

Barriers  Between  Infinite  and  Finite  Minds — 265,  266. 
Basilides— 129. 

Baska,  Arabian  School  in — 136. 
Bees,  Communal  Appreciation — 153. 
Belief  Not  Alone  Important — ^290. 
Berkeley  an  Philosophy — 211-213. 
Birth  Control,  Fight  Against — 255. 
Blavatsky,  Madam— 48,  215. 
Blood,  Injections  Into,  Are  Destructive — 278. 
"      Magnetic  Portion  of — 8. 
"      Sacrifices— 3. 
Blue  Cosmic  Force,   Concentration  on — 17,   18. 
Electricity  a  Part  of— 50. 
Body,  Cremation  of — 180. 

How  Controlled  by  Mind,  64. 

Matrix  of— 179,   180. 

One  of  St.  Paul's  Three  Divisions  of  Man— 178. 

Origin  of— 109,  110. 
Boehme,  Jacob,  Teacher  of  Blavatsky — 215. 
Bokhara,  Arabian  School  in — 136. 
Books  of  Occultists  Collected  and  Published — 219. 
Botany  Taught  in  Arabian  Schools — 136. 
Brahminism,  Soul  of — 5. 

Brahmins,  Teaching  About  Death  and  After — 168. 
Brain  Suffers  Through  Removal  of  Parts  of  Body— 280. 
Brotherhood,  Object  of  Theosophical  Society — 215. 

Occult,  Magi  and  Jesus  Members  of  Same— 227,  232. 
Brotherhoods,  Occult — 5,  133. 
Buddha— 131,  222. 
Buddhism,  Corrupted — 131. 

Soul  of— 5. 
Buddhistic  Teaching  About  Death  and  After— 170,  171. 

That  Man  Is  Sevenfold— 177. 
Bury  Bodies  Without  Embalming — 181. 
B>Ton— 21. 

Cabala,  Basis  of — 103.       ^ 
Cagliostro — 149-151. 


298  INDEX 

Cagliostro,  Teacher  of  Blavatsky — 215. 

Cairo,  Arabian  School  and  Library  in — 136. 

Cancer — 64. 

Carlyle  Collected  Misinformation  about  Cagliostro — 151. 

Catacylsm,  Readjustment  of  Perverted  Forces — 94. 

Catherine  II.  of  Russia — 147. 

Catholicism,  Soul  of — 5. 

Cause  and  Effect— 71,   192,   196. 

Center  of  Force — 53. 

"        "  Gravity,  Personal— 180. 
"  Universe— 54,  55,  57,  70. 
Centers,  Constructive  and  Destructive — 61.     See  Atoms. 

First  Created— 54. 
Central  America  Settled  by  Atlanteans — 94. 

"         Suns  in  Last  Cosmic  Day — 76. 
Ceremonial  Magic — 2. 
Chaldean  Priests— 136. 

"  Records  Basis  of  Genesis — 105. 

Character  Determines  Quality  of  Thoughts — 52. 
"  Indicated  by  Aura — 12. 

"  Man  Goes  to  Plane  Determined  by — 16. 

Chemistry  Established  as  Science  by  Paracelsus — 142. 

"  Taught  in  Arabian  Schools — 136. 

Cherubim — See  Seraphim  and  Cherubim. 
Child,  Ideals  of— 162. 

Chinese,  Origin  of  Ancestral  Worship — 171. 
Chosen  People— 97,  105. 
Christ,  Esoteric — 220-241.     See  Jesus. 
"  Symbolism  of— 240. 

"        Meaning  Anointed — 223. 
Oracle— 225. 
Christian  Brotherhood — 131,  137. 
Science— 213,  217. 

Miracles— 34,  41. 
"         Scientists  Changed  Carving  on  Stone — 39,  40. 
Christianity,  Mythology  of— 126,  129,  131. 
Real— 125,  126. 
"  Teachings  of— 169. 

"  Was  Merely  Formal — 205. 

Church,    Catholic,    Has    Always    Justified    Its    Mission    by    Its 
Miracles — 37. 
"         Ceremonies  Rooted  in  Fear  and  Dishonesty — 197,  200. 
"         Christian    Science    and    New    Thought    Drew    Largely 

from — 214. 
"         Compelled  to  Abandon  or  Suppress  Some  Dogmas — 219. 
"  Degeneration  of  Primitive — 272. 

"         Emphasized  Death  and  Resurrection  of  Jesus — 167. 
Fallacies  Taught  by  the— 198-200. 


INDEX  299 

Church,    Institutions,    Destructive    Force    Will    Destroy   Unpro- 
gressive — 271. 
Nations  Dominated  by — 211. 
Occult  Brotherhoods  in  the — 133. 
Science  Attacked  Dogmas  of — 210. 
View  of  Miracles — 34. 
Wants  More  Devotees — 255. 
Churches  Are  Being  Destroyed — 199. 
Churchianity  Born  at  Council  of  Nice — 133. 

"  Caused  Ignorance  of  Europe — 136. 

Fed  to  World  for  1500  Years— 200. 
"  Opposed  Psychic  Phenomena — 210. 

"  Reaction   on — 214. 

Slave  to— 118. 
"  Teaches  Useless  and  Absurd  Sacrifice  of  Jesus — 234, 

235. 
Civil   War,   Compensation   for   Slavery — 98-100. 
Civilization,  Artificiality  of  Present — 291. 

Of  Twentieth  Century  Must  Perish— 99. 
Clairaudience — See  Clairvoyance  and  Clairaudience. 
Clairvoyance,  False — 30. 

"  Necessary  to  Observe  Obsession — 7. 

"  and  Clairaudience — 3,  18,  29,  30,  42. 

Clairvoyant  Can  See  First  Subjective  Plane — 183. 
Can  See  Silver  Cord— 180. 
"  Independent,    Distinguishes    Phantom    from    Phan- 

tasm— 27. 
"  Independent,  Not  Deceived — 29. 

Class,  There  Will  Be  No  Privileged— 204. 
Classes,  Adjustment  of  Relations  Between — 202,  204. 
Comets,  Destructive  Centers — 62,  66. 
Communication  with  Dead,  Among  Jews — 170. 

"  "       "       Priesthood    Discourages — 1. 

Compassion — 27 1 . 
Compensation,  Gods  of — 209. 

"  Law  of— 83-107.     See  Equilibrium,  Law  of. 

Concentration  Necessary  to  Tap  Source  of  Inspiration — 22. 
"  Of  Consciousness — 59. 

"  Practice  at  All  Times— 13. 

"  Studied  First  in  Lesser  Magic — 17. 

"  To  Use  Cosmic  Forces — 48,  49. 

Consciousness,  Atomic — 54. 

"  Communal,  Division  of — 154. 

"  Concentration  of — 59. 

"  Continuity  of.  Destroyed  by  Death — 145,  146. 

"  Evolves  Through  Manifestation — 60. 

"  Of  Man  Is  Dual  and  Separable— 176-178. 

"  Unifying  Human  with  Divine — 88. 


300  INDEX 

Consciousness,  Universal — See  Deity. 

Consciousnesses,  Ascending  and  Descending  Scale  of — 89. 

Consequences,  Escaping— 193,  196-202,  233,  234,  288. 

No  God  Will  Remove— 291. 
Constantine,  Convoked  Council  of  Nice — 132,  133. 

"  Influenced  by  Eusebius — 129. 

Constructive  Atoms— 62,  242. 
Centers— 61. 
"  "         How  Made  from  Destructive — 66,  243. 

"  Essences— 278-280. 

Force— 242,  247,  272,  274. 
"  "        Protecting     Wall     of     Harmonious     Vibra- 

tions— 274. 
"  "        Reinforcement  of,  from  Destructive  Force — 

66,  243. 
Occult  Bodies— 141. 
Consummation  of  the  Age — 206. 
Contagion  of  Action — 58. 
Contrition — 271. 

Control,  None,  in  Good  Suggestion  and  Inspiration — 22,  24,  25. 
Copper— 276. 

Cord  Connecting  Soul  and  Body,  179-181. 
Cordova,  Arabian  School  in — 136. 
Corruption  in  American  Politics — 99. 
Cosmic  Currents — See  Force,  Cosmic. 
Day — See  Day,  Cosmic. 
Evolution — See  Evolution,  Cosmic. 
Force — See  Force,  Cosmic. 
Night — See  Night,  Cosmic. 
Period — See  Period,  Cosmic. 
Council  of  Nice — See  Nice,  Council  of. 

Creations  of  Infinite  Mind  More  Numerous  and  Varied — 262. 
Credit,  Give  Full— 286. 

Creed,  After-death  Condition  Not  Result  of  Acceptance  of — 189. 
Cremation,  Proper  Mode  of  Disposing  of  Body — 180. 
Crime,  Greatest,  Persistent  and  Continued  Retrogression — 251. 
Cross,  Meaning  of — 241. 
Crucifixion,  Alleged,  of  Jesus— 106,  235-238. 

"  Of  the  Divine  in  the  Material— 241. 

Crystal  Gazing — 3. 

Crystallization— 157,  159,  267,  269,  271. 
Curiosity,  Phenomenon  Challenges — 1,  209. 
Custodians  of  Occult  Knowledge— 68,  69,  71,  79,  136. 
Cycle,  A  Great  Saviour  Comes  for  Each  Solar — 206. 
"      A  Teacher  Comes  for  Each  Zodiacal— 206. 
"      All  Religions  Will  Pass  Away  at  End  of  Present— 219. 
Daniel  Produced  Miracles — 36. 
"       Reference  to  Aura — 93. 


INDEX  ,  301 

Dante— 187. 
Darwin— 109. 
David— 89. 

Davis,  Andrew  Jackson — 174. 
Day,  Cosmic,  Defined — 74. 
First— 69. 
"  "         Morning  of — 54,  56. 

Our— 72,  74. 
"  "       End  of— 67. 

"   "  «  "       Morning  of— 57,  62,  242,  249. 

"        Ripened  Fruit  of— 82. 
"  "  "       Saturday  Afternoon  in— 80. 

"  "         Preceding— 74-76. 

Second— 72,    73. 
Days,  Cosmic,  Have  Grown  Shorter — 72. 
"  "  Previous — 54. 

"  "  Wave  Lengths  of— 73,  75. 

Dead,  Communication  with.  Among  Jews — 170. 

"  "  "      Priesthood  Discourages — 1. 

Death  and  After— 166-191. 

"       Caused  by  Too  Low  Vibrations  of  Body — 176. 
"      Does  Not  Change  Nature  of  a  Man — 5,  184. 
"      Ego  Greeted  by  Friends  at— 178. 
"      Ego  Sometimes  Dazed  at — 179. 
"      Fear  of,  in  Occident— 166,  178. 
"        "       "     Removed  by  Psychism— 14. 
"      Interruption  to  Consciousness — 145,  146. 
"      Is  Annihilation,  View  of  Materialist — 15. 
J'      Is  Dissolution — 67. 
""      Is  Painless— 174. 
"      Not  To  Be  Dreaded— 175. 
"      Occultist's  View  of— 15. 
"      Personality  Survives — 18. 
"      The  Chief  Phenomenon— 1 . 
"      Vision  of  Incidents  of  Lifetime  at — 270. 
Declaration  of  Independence — 116. 
Degeneration  Produced  by  Medium  ship — 7. 
Deity— 242-281.     See  Mind,  Infinite. 
"        Composed  of  Atoms — 53,  56,  57. 
"        Connection  with,  in  Inspiration — 21. 
"        Desires  Light  and  Expression  in  Forms — 53,  69,  194. 
"        Entities  Pose  as— 21. 

Everything  a  Part  of— 274-276. 
"        Evolvement  of— 69. 

"        Finishing  Its  Work  for  This  Cosmic  Day— 80. 
"        First  Desire  of— 69. 
"        Greatest  Crime  Against — 251. 
"        Has  Not  Reached  Perfection— 249. 


302  INDEX 

Deity,    Heals— 31. 
"        In  First  Chapter  of  Genesis— 109. 
"        ^new  When  Its  Rest  Would  End— 54. 
"        Not  Now  Self-conscious  in  All  Its  Parts — 72. 

Not  Vindictive— 187. 
"        Particled  and  Unparticled  Portions — 64. 
"         Rests  in  Cosmic  Nights — 54. 
"        Ruler  Dares  to   Command — 268. 
"        Shows  Progress  Since  Last  Cosmic  Day — 75. 
"        Superabundance  of — 56,  57. 
«        UndiflFerentiated  Part  of— 57. 
"        What  Is  Done  to  Another  Is  Done  to — 290. 
"        Will  Again  Become  Vibrationless — 67. 
Deities,  Solar— 191. 
Deluge— 86.     See  Flood. 
Democracy — 88. 
Demonism — 3. 

Demand  and  Supply,  Explanation  of  Some  Miracles — 37. 
"  "  "  Moses'  Coming  Example  of — 87. 

"        for  Healing— 31. 
Density,  Planes  Are  of  Different — 182. 
Depletion  Made  Up  for  by  Sleep — 175,  176. 

"        Physical — See  Vampirization. 
Desire,  First,  to  Exist — 194,  195. 
"       Second,  to  Possess — 195. 
"       Third,  to  Continue  Transgressions — 196. 
Destruction  Destroys  Itself— 65,   187,  261. 
Destructive  Aspect  of  Law  of  Cause  and  Effect — 196. 
Atoms— 62. 
Centers— 61. 
"  "  Destroy  Themselves — 20. 

"  "  How  Changed  into  Constructive — 66,  243. 

"  Essences— 278-280. 

Force— 242,  247,  257,  272-274. 
"  "  Career  of  Conqueror  Stopped  by — 269. 

"  "  Described— 261,   262. 

"  "  Reinforcement  of,  from  the  Infinite — 243. 

**  "  Will   Affect   Finite   Minds   Until   They  Be- 

come Constructive — 274. 
**  "  Will    Destroy    All    Unprogressive    Institu- 

tions— 271. 
Forces,  Use  of— 50,  51. 
Occult  Bodies— 141. 
"  Tendency  of  Mankind — 50,  51. 

"  Thoughts  Disintegrate  and  Annihilate — 187. 

Determination  Expressed  in  Forms — 246. 

Should  Be  Cultivated— 285. 
Devil,  Belief  in  Power  of — 257. 


INDEX  303 

Devil   Worship — 3. 

Devolvment  Destroys  Identity — 14. 

Diamond — 275. 

Diana— 125. 

Disease  Cured  by  Philosopher's  Stone — 145,  14C. 

"        Quimby  Applied  Berkeley's  Philosophy  to  Curing — 212. 
There  Are  Essences  That  Will  Cure  Every — 280. 
Dishonest,  Slavery  is  Essentially — 253. 
Dishonesty,  Religious — 198. 

Will  Be  Swept  Away— 201-204. 
Disintegration,  Physical  Phenomenon — 43,  44. 
"  Result  of  Demagnetization — 8. 

Dissolution,  Death  Is — 67. 
Divine  Mind — See  Deity. 

"      Right  of  Kings— 104,  256. 
Earthbound  Egos— 16,  20,  32. 

East,  Sacred  Books  of.  Collected  and  Published — 219. 
Ego — See  Man,  Mind,  Soul. 
As  Phantasm— 27-29. 
Control  of  Body  by— 8. 
"       Crowded  Out  by  Obsessor — 13. 
"       Greeted  by  Friends  at  Death— 178. 
"       Has  Form  and  Color — 186. 
"       In  Sleep,  Leaves  Body  to  Rest  It— 175. 
"       Liberated— 181,  189. 

Magnetically  Attached  to  Body— 27,  28,  180,  181. 
Make-up  of— 176-178. 

Progressive,  Goes  After  What  It  Wants— 285. 
Egos,  Incarnated,  Produce  Phenomena — 4. 
Egypt,  Goal  of  Exodus  from  Atlantis — ^94. 
Plato  Visited— 93. 
"        Priests  and  Pharaoh  in — 88. 
Egyptian  Magicians — 16. 
Egyptians,  Plagues  of — 51. 

"  Relations  with  Jews — 86-88. 

Electrical  Invisibles  Compose  Body — ^27. 

Vibrate— 53. 
Electricity  a  Part  of  Blue  Cosmic  Force — 50. 
Elemental  Can  Be  Controlled— 32,  43. 

"  Producer  of  Psychic  Phenomena — 5. 

Elements,  Three  Primal— 277. 
Eleusis— 122. 
Elijah— 89,  142,  166. 

Miracles  of— 36,  170. 
Elisha— 227. 

Miracles  of— 36,   170. 
Elizabeth— 89,  222. 
Elliptical  Motion  for  Manifesting — 53,  64. 


304:  INDEX 

Elohim— 89,  191. 

Created   Subjective  Minds— 193-195. 
"  Disgusted  with  Atlanteans — 96. 

Efforts  to  Evolve  Mankind— 85,  86. 
"  Gods  of  Compensation — 209. 

Embalmed,  Bodies  Should  Not  Be— 181. 
Emotionalism,  Excessive — 78. 

Employers    and    Serving    Class,    Adjustment    of    Relations    Be- 
tween—202. 
Energy — See  Force. 
Entities  Pose  as  Deity — 21. 
Environment,  Man  Can  Make  Desired — 51. 
Ephesus— 122,  125,  126. 

Equilibrium,  Law  of — 98.     See  Compensation. 
Equinoxes,   Precession  of  the — 121. 
Essence  of  Experiences  of  Animal  Mind — 252. 
jEssences  of  Food  Absorbed  by  Soul  Body — 171. 
"        of  Minerals  and  Plants— 275-280. 
Will  Cure  Every  111—280. 
Essenes — 122. 

"        Jesus  Studied  with— 228. 
Occultism  of— 169. 
Ethical  Precepts  Based  on  Laws  of  Nature — 52,  188. 

"       Principles,  Laws  Based  on — 103. 
Ether,  Basic  Wave  Lengths  of — 73. 

"        Wireless  Waves  in — 44. 
Etheric  Substance,  Mind  of  Man  Is — 176. 
Europe,  Compensation  for  Industrial  Slavery  in — 100. 
Eusebius  of  Caesarea — 129. 
Evil  and  Good  Both  Parts  of  Deity— 244. 
Evolution,  Cosmic — 68-82. 

Life  1^-67. 
Evolutionary  Plan,  Relationship  of  Man's  Inner  Nature  to — 2. 
Evolvement  Preserves  Identity — 14. 

Exist,  First  Desire  of  Subjective  Minds  Was  to — 194,  195. 
Exodus  from  Atlantis — 93-97,  100,  101. 
Experience  Gained  Only  Through  Expression — 245. 
Fallacies  Taught  by  the  Churches— 198-200. 
Falsehood — See  Truth  and  Falsehood. 
Fear  Became  Instinctive  with  Animals — 252. 
"     Caused  Man  to  Build  Temples— 197. 
"      Lowers  Auric  Vibration — 14. 
"     Must  Be  Uprooted— 286. 
"     of  Death  Removed  by  Psychism — 14. 
"      of  Public  Opinion— 114. 
Finite  Mind — See  Mind,  Finite. 
Flood,  Foundation  of  Story  of — 96.    See  Deluge. 
Foods,  Constructive  and  Destructive — 63. 


INDEX  305 

Foods,  Essences  in— 171,  276-280.  ^ 

Force — See  Constructive  Force,  Destructive  Force. 
Cosmic,  Action  of  Mind  on — 41,  48,  49. 

"  "        Blue — See  Blue  Cosmic  Force. 

"  "        Concentration  on — 17,   18. 

"  "        Creation  of  Subjective  Minds  out  of — 193. 

"  "        Green — See  Green  Cosmic  Force. 

"  "        Healing  by  Conscious  and  Expert  Manipulator 

of— 31,  32. 

"  "        Idealistic  Mind  in  Rapport  with  Higher — 61. 

"  "        Orange — See  Orange  Cosmic  Force. 

"  "        Poured  on  Animals  and  Human  Beings — 79. 

"  "        Probably  Concentrated  by  Joshua — 39. 

"  "        Red— See  Red  Cosmip  Force. 

"  "        Uses  of,  Taught  in  Magic— 88. 

"  "        Yellow — See  Yellow  Cosmic  Force. 

"        Economy  of — 249. 
Form,  Creation  and  Growth  of— 55,  58. 

"       Is  Expression  of  a  Thought — 245. 
Forms  Disappeared  in  Cosmic  Night — 54. 

"        Vibration  of  Atoms  Cause  of — 53,  54. 
Fox  Sisters— 7,  209. 

France,  Compensation  for  Industrial  Slavery  in — 100. 
Francis  I,  King  of  France — 139. 
Franciscans,  Accepted  Teachings  of  Joachim — 137. 
Fraud— 4,  19. 
Free  Will— 251. 

Freedom  from  All  Limitations — 119. 
"        from  Slavery— 116. 
Key  to— 121. 
Funeral,  Man  Usually  Conscious  at  Own — 179. 
Future  Prospects,  No  One  Will  Live  upon — 203. 
Gambling  Will  Be  Unknown— 204. 
Ganglia  of  Brain— 18,  280. 
Genesis — 84,  85. 

"         Based  on  Chaldean  Records — 105. 
"         Man's  Origin  According  to — 108. 
Genius— 102. 

German  School,  Materialism  of  Dominant — 210. 
Gestation  of  Infant,  Evolvement  of  Deity  Compared  with — 55,  69. 
Gibbon's  "  History  "—133. 
Glaucus — 129. 
Gnostic  School — 127. 
God — See  Deity. 

Godhood,  Attained  by  Jesus — 229. 
Gods,  Creative,  in  Second  Chapter  of  Genesis — 110. 

"       of  Compensation — 209. 

"      of  Rome— 121.  132. 


306  ,  INDEX 

Gold—276. 
"       and  Silver  Will  Be  Medium  of  Trade — 204. 
"       Transmutation  of  Baser  Metals  into — 146. 
Golden  Rule— 288. 
Good  and  Evil  Both  Parts  of  Deity— 244. 

"     Positively  and  Negatively — 230. 
Gospel,  Fourth — 127. 
Gospels,  How  Written — 223. 

"         Interpretation  of  the — 129. 
Government,  Origin  of — 259. 

Governments  Will  Own  Banks  and  Public  Utilities — 204. 
Gravity  Draws  Each  to  Own  Plane — 16,  29,  186. 
"         Prevails  on  First  Subjective  Plane — 183. 
Great  Schism — 137. 
Greed  Will  Be  Unknown— 203. 
Greek  "  Land  of  Shades  "—185. 
Greeks  Knew  of  Persistency  of  Soul — 171. 
Green  Cosmic  Force,  Minds  in  Lower  Shades  of — 61. 

"       Planets  That  Vibrate  as— 81. 
H.  P.  B.,  Teacher  of  Blavatsky— 215. 
Happiness  Is  Harmony — 244. 

"  Lost  and  Must  Be  Found — 112. 

"  Spiritual— 113,  116,  119. 

Hartmann,  Biographer  of  Paraceslus — 143. 
Healing,  Miraculous — 36. 

Psychic— 3,  31,  32. 
"         Suggestion  All-powerful  in — 45. 
Heart  of  Deity— 55,  70. 
Heaven,  Christian  Teachings  on — 172. 

"        First — See  Subjective  Plane,  Second. 

In  Church  Doctrine— 210. 
"        Jesus  Ascended  to — 239. 
"        of  Theology— 14. 
"         Second — See  Subjective  Plane,  Third. 
"         Subjective  Mind  Came  from — 240. 
"        Third— See  Subjective  Plane,  Fourth. 
Heavens— 183,  189-191. 
Hell,  Christian  Teachings  on — 172. 
"      First— 186,  187. 
"      In  Church  Doctrine--210. 
"       of  Theology— 14. 
"      Second— 187. 
Hells— 182,  186,  187. 
Henry  VIII,  King  of  England— 139. 
Herod— 89. 
Hezekiah — 39. 
Hindoo   Gods — 205. 
History,  Critical  Estimate  of— 90. 


INDEX  307 

History,  Occult,  Stray  Leaves  of— 120,  152. 
"  History  and  Power  of  Mind,"  Referred  to — 17. 
"  Hunch  "  from  Subjective  Mind — 25. 
Hydrogen  Discovered  by  Paracelsus — 143. 
Hypnosis,  Self -induced — 31. 
Hypnotism  Induces  False  Clairvoyance — 30. 
"  Perverted  in  Atlantis — 93. 

"  Shows  Man's  Mind  Is  Dual— 176. 

"  Subjective — 13. 

Ice,  Used  as  Illustration — 55,  56. 
Iconoclasts — 22 1 . 
Ideals — 162. 
Idealism  in  Sacred  Books  of  East — 213. 

of  Socrates— 212. 
Idealistic  Minds — 61. 
Illuminati — 140. 
Immortality,  Believed  in — 1. 

"  Consciously  Surrendered  in  Nirvana — 191. 

"  Foundation  Laid  for  by  Psychism — 14. 

"  How  Attained— 14. 

"  New  Revelation  to  Orient — 131. 

"  Not  Proven  by  Persistency  for  a  Time — 174. 

Indian's  "Happy  Hunting  Ground*' — 185. 
Individualism,  Persistent — 131. 
Individuality  Consciously  Surrendered  in  Nirvana — 191. 

"  Expressed  in  Forms — 246,  247. 

"  Not  Lost  by  Developed  Souls— 81. 

Individualization,  Tendency  to — 3. 
Infinite  Intelligence — See  Mind,  Infinite. 
"        Mind— See  Deity. 
The— 242,  243. 
Injections  into  Blood — 63,  278. 

Insanity  Produced  Through  Study  of  Psychism — 11-13. 
Inspiration — 2 1  -25. 

Inspirational  Writing  and  Speaking — 3,  20-25. 
Intelligence — See  Mind  Finite  and  Mind  Infinite. 
Intelligences  Less  Than  Man  Produce  Phenomena— 4. 

"  Superior— 89. 

Intuition  Gives  Free  Will — ^251. 
Iron  Age — 135. 
"      Ore— 275. 
Isaiah — 39. 

James,  Brother  of  Jesua — 123. 
Jehovah  Had  Lost  Most  of  His  Followers — 205. 
Jerusalem,  Fall  of — 126. 
Jesus,  Alleged  Crucifixion— 106,  206,  235-238. 
"       Alleged  Death— 223. 
"      Baptism— 224,  228. 


308  INDEX 

Jesus,  Birth  of— 223-227. 

"      Birthday  of— 224,  225. 

"       Childhood  of— 228. 

"       Clairvoyantly  Saw  Nathaniel — 42. 

"       Death  and  Resurrection  Emphasized  by  the  Church — 167. 

"       Disciples   of.   Produced   Miracles — 36. 

"      Emotional  Nature  of— 229. 
Former  Lives— 226,  227. 

"      Life  Compared  with  That  of  Moses — 87. 

"      Lived  at  Monastery  for  One  Thousand  Years — 239. 

"       Miracle  of  Destroying  the  Fig  Tree — 51. 
"     Draft  of  Fishes— 49. 

"  "        "    Fish  and  Piece  of  Money— 43. 

"  "        "    Loaves  and  Fishes— 46. 

"  "        "    Raising  Lazarus — 50. 

«        "     Stilling  the  Storm— 50. 

"  "        "    Turning  Water  into  Wine — 48. 

"      Miracles— 36-38,  41-51. 

"  "  Did  Not  Commence  with— 34. 

"      Mission  to  Jews  and  to  Whole  Western  World — 122,  123 

"       Neophyte  of  the  Essenes — 122. 

"       Personality  vs.  Teachings — 226. 

"      Power  in  Lives  of  Occultists — 222,  227. 

"       Quoted— 107,  192,  201,  202,  206,  239,  286,  290. 

"      Retired  to  Occultists'  Retreat— 123. 

"       Society  of,  Soul  of  Catholicism — 5. 

"      Temptation  of— 230-232. 

"      Used  Suggestion — 46. 

"      Will  Return— 208,  209,  239. 
Jewels  Made  by  Count  de  St.  Germain — 147. 
Jewish  Psychism — 3. 

Jews,  Ancestors  of.  Enslaved  by  Atlanteans — 97. 
Early  History  in  Genesis— 86,  87. 

"      Greed  of— 105,  106. 

"      In  Times  of  Moses  and  Jesus,  Compared — 87. 

"      Massacres  of,  in  Russia — 107. 

"      Miracle  Workers  of — 37-40. 

"      Reformation  of.  Mission  of  Jesus — 122. 

"       Sects  of— 169. 
Joachim  of  Flora  in  Calabria — 137. 
John  Baptized  Jesus — 228. 

"     the  Evangelist,  in  Alexandria — 127. 

"       "  "  Maoi  Led  Schools  Founded  by— 131. 

"      "  "  Work  of,  in  Asia  Minor— 124. 

Joseph — 122. 
Joshua — 36,  39. 

"         Name  of  Jesus— 223. 
Judas — 134,  235. 


INDEX  309 

Judgment,  Bad— 284,  285. 
Day— 282-292. 
"  Those  Who  Have  Passed  the— 292. 

Justice — 98.     See  Reciprocity. 
Is  Not  Dead— 288. 
"         Must  Be  Done— 203. 
K.  H.,  Teacher  of  Blavatsky — 215. 
Kaliyuga — 135. 
Kingcraft— 88,  104. 
Kings,  Divine  Right  of — 104,  256. 
Knowledge,  Custodians  of  Occult — See  Custodians. 
"  Esoteric,  of  Priesthood — 2. 

"  Gained  by  Deity  from  Past  Experiences — 246. 

"  Labor  Necessary  to  Gain — 285. 

"  Of  Laws  Enables  Man  to  Control  Natural  Forces — 2. 

"  Result  of  Interaction  of  Subject  and  Object — 212,  213. 

"  Tendency  to  Acquire  Direct — 3. 

Krishna— 222. 

Labor  Necessary  to  Gain  Knowledge — 285. 
Law,  Divine — See  Deity. 
"      of  Attraction — See  Attraction. 
"       "   Compensation — See  Compensation. 
"       "    Demand  and  Supply — See  Demand  and  Supply. 
"        "    Psychic  Phenomenon — 8. 
Laws  of  Moses  Based  on  Ethical  Principles — 103. 
^     "      "   Nature  Same  for  All  Planea— 186. 
Laziness  Must  Be  Uprooted — 286. 
Lead,  Essence  of — 275. 
Lemurians — 136. 
Life  and  Death,  Mystery  of — 1. 
"    Force — See  Orange  Cosmic  Force. 

"    Former,  Present  Astrological  Conditions  Result  of — 284,  285. 
"     Is  Evolution— 67. 
"    Processes  Are  Chemical — 143. 
"    Recedes  First  from  Extremities — 77. 
Light,  Establishment  of  Vibration  of — 71. 
"       First  Desire  of  Deity  for— 69. 
"       Freedom  from  All— 119. 
Limitations  of  Finite  Mind  Due  to  Mental  States  Made  by  It — 

264-266. 
Lincoln,  Abraham — 220. 
Lions,  Story  of  the — 84,  85. 
Literary  Current  in  Deity — 21. 
Literature  Taught  in  Arabian  Schools — 136. 
Locke — 212. 
Logos— 132. 
Longevity— 239,  280. 

"  Attained  by  Using  Philosopher's  Stone— 144-147. 


310  INDEX 

Louis  XV— 147. 
Luck,  Bad— 283,  284. 
M.,  Teacher  of  Blavatsky — 215. 
Macrocosm,  Organs  of — 55. 
Magi  at  Birth  of  Jesus— 223,  227. 
"      Helped  in  Education  of  Jesus — 228. 
"      Helped  Jesus  When  Condemned  to  Death — 236,  237. 
"      Returned  with  Jesus  to  ^lonastery — 238. 
Magic— 42-44. 

"        Among  Egyptian  Priests — 88. 
"        Ceremonial — 2. 
Defined— 2. 

Higher— 16,  21,  31,  88. 
^     "         Lesser— 2,  16,  31. 

"        Perverted   in  Atlantis — 93. 
"        Taught  by  Rosicrucians— 138. 

Temple— 2. 
"        Used  by  Moses  to  Awe  Jews — 104. 
Magnetic  Force,  Center  of — 63. 
Magnetism  Drawn  into  Body  During  Sleep — 176. 

"         Of  Creative  Gods  Used  in  Creating  Subjective  Minds — 

195. 
"         Of  Ego,  Part  Played  at  Birth  and  at  Death  by  a 

Portion  of— 179-181. 
"         Of  Medium  Drawn  on— 32. 
"         Used  in   Psychic  Phenomena — 8. 
Man — See  Ego,  Mind,  Soul. 

Accountable  for  Acts  to  Every  Part  of  Deity — 290. 

Birth  of— 240,  248. 

Can  Make  Environment  Desired — 51. 

Creator  of  Own  Destiny — 188,  189. 

Early— 248. 

"        History  of,  in  Genesis — 85,  86. 
Has  Neglected  Study  of  Occultism — 2. 
Has  Tried  to  Penetrate  the  Veil— 1. 
Interested  in  Objective — 2. 
Nature  of.  Not  Changed  by  Death — 5. 
Origin  of— 108-110. 

Phenomenon  Challenges  Curiosity  of — 1. 
St.  Paul's  Three  Divisions  of— 178. 
Teaching  about  Very  Complex  Make-up  of — 177,  178. 
Mankind  Redeemed  by  One  of  the  Great  God8-^96. 
Maoi— 131. 

Martyr  Frequently  Hero  of  Myth — 220. 
Mary— 89,  122,  222. 
Masonry,  Free,  Enlarged  by  Cagliostro^l49. 

•*  "      Founded  in  Germany  by  Count  de  St.  Germain — 

147, 


INDEX  311 

Masonry,   Free,  Why  Rome  Objects  to — 149,  160. 
Masons,  Free,  Interested  in  lUuminati — 140. 
Masses,  After-death  Condition  Not  Result  of — 189. 
Master,  Defined — 89. 
Materialism— 4,  210,  211. 

Attacked  by  Locke— 212. 
"  Spiritism  Will  Aid  in  Destroying — 5. 

Materialists,  Earthbound — 20. 
Materialization  Produced  by  Astral  Entities — 32. 
Mathematics  Taught  in  Arabian  Schools — 136. 
Matrix  of  Physical  Body— 179,  180. 
Matter,  Negative  Aspect  of  Atom — 54. 

"        Planes  Composed  of  Different  Grades  of— 182. 
Matthew— 129. 

Oldest  Extant  Text  of— 222. 
Medicine  Reformed  by  Paracelsus — 142. 
"        Taught  by  Rosicrucians — 138. 
"        Taught  in  Arabian  Schools— 136. 
Medicines,  Constructive  and  Destructive — 63-65. 
"  Destructive— 278,  279. 

"  Essences  in— 276-280. 

Medium  Consulted  by  Saul — 170. 
"        Magnetism  of,  Drawn  on — 32. 

"        Place  of,  Taken  by  Ouija  Board  or  Automatic  Writing — 3. 
"        Resorts  to  Fraud— 19. 
"        Sensitive  May  Become  a — 26. 
"        Sincere  Souls  Unwisely  Seek  to  Use — 20. 
"        Vampirization  of — 9,  19. 
"        Yields  to  Another  Entity— 6. 
Mental  Plane  Forms  Are  Individualized — 60. 

"       Powers,  Revealed  by  Christian  Science  and  New  Thought 
—217. 
Mercury,  Essence  of — 275,  277. 
Mesmer — 148. 

Mesmerism  Induces  False  Clairvoyance — 30. 
Messiah  Comes  for  Each  Solar  Cycle — 206.    See  Aquarian  Teacher. 
Meteors — 62. 

Mind — see  Ego,  Man,  Soul. 
"        Action  of,  on  Mind — 41. 

"       "     "    Occult  Forces— 41,  48,  49. 
"        Animal,  How  Made  to  Evolve — 252. 

"  "        No  More  Created  after  Birth  of  Finite  Mind— 250. 

"  "        To  Be  Trained  by  Finite  Minds— 250. 

"        Change  in,  Sometimes  Cause  of  Healing — 45,  46. 
"        Controls  Body,  How— 64. 
"        Finite— 250-252. 
"  "        Compassion   and   Contrition   Attributes   Only   of 


312  INDEX 

Mind,  Finite,    Evolving — 271. 

"        Deity  Expresses  Itself  Through— 75. 
Has  Free  Will— 251. 
"  "        Hopes  Its  Forms  Will  Be  Permanent— 262-264. 

"  "        How  Behaves  When  Worlds  Are  Dying — 78. 

"  "        How  Disintegration  Seems  to — 77. 

"  "        Will  Be  Affected  by  Destructive  Force  Until  It 

Becomes  Constructive — 274. 
Infinite— 242-281.     See  Deity. 
"  "         Abhors  Uselessness— 263. 

Is  Substance— 176. 
"        Must  Gain  in  Knowledge  and  Power  of  Concentration — 67. 
"        None  Continually  Positive — 10. 

"        Objective,  Far  Surpassed  by  Subjective  Mind — 23,  24. 
"  "  Jesus  Possessed  a  Powerful — 229. 

Origin  of— 109,  110. 
Part  of  Ego— 176-178. 
"  "  Product  of  This  Planetary  Evolution— 240. 

"  "  Struggle  for  Possessions — 153. 

"        Power  of.  Lesser  Magic  a  Phase  of — 2. 
"        Subjective,  Abode  of  Permanent  Memory — 33. 
"  "  Awakening— 24. 

Creation  of— 193-195. 
"  "  Deserts  Objective  Mind,  and  Body— 117. 

"  "  Forced  to  Separate  from  Objective — 30. 

"  "  Incarnation  in  Human-animal  Body — 110. 

Is  Esoteric  Christ— 240. 
Jesus  a  Strong— 229. 
No  Vanity  Originally— 153. 
"  "  Of  Investigator,  Entity  Can  Read— 33. 

Part  of  Ego— 176-178. 
"  "  Produces  Phenomena — 4. 

"        True  Subject  of  Psychology,  211. 
Minds,  Destructive — 63. 

Two  Classes  of— 217. 
Unusual— 60. 
Mineral  KingdoUi  Created  for  Food  and  Medicines — 274. 
Minerals,  Essences  of — 275-280. 
Miracle,  Defined — 40. 

"        Worker,  Unearned  Increment  of — 39,  40. 
Miracles— 34-52. 

"  All  Men  Use  Forces  Which  Produce — 51. 

Identical,  Differently  Explained— 3^,  38. 
Misrepresentation  of  Value  Will  Be  Unknown — 204. 
Mohammedan  Renaissance — 136. 
Mohammedanism — 205. 
Moon,  Life  of  Subjective  Minds  on — 153. 


INDEX  313 

Money,  Commercial  Paper  Will  Not  Be  Used  in  Place  of — 203,  204. 
Mortal  Mind— 268,  276. 
Moses— 47,  83-107. 
"         and  Jesus,  Lives  Compared — 87. 

Birth— 87,  101. 
"         Contradictions  of  Character — 91,  92. 
Death— 105. 
Education— 88,  101. 
Laws— 92,  103. 
"         Leader  of  Atlantean  Exodus — 94-97,  100. 
"         Produced  Miracles — 36. 
"         Purified  Waters  of  Marah— 40. 
"         Turning-point  in  Life — 89. 
Moses-ben-Levi — 127. 
Mothers,  Cruelty  to — 254. 
Moving  Pictures,  Astral — 26. 
Mulford,  Prentice — 214. 
Myers'  Book  on  Survival  of  Death — 173. 
Mysteries  of  Eleusis — 122. 
Mystics  in  Jewish  Church — 127. 

"       Jesus'  Life  Inspiration  to — 227. 
"       Never  Accepted  Atonement — 232. 
"       Teach  There  Is  No  Death— 174. 
Myth,  Martyr  Frequently  Hero  of — 220. 
Myth-making  Tendency — 220,  221. 
Mythology  May  Again  Be  Created — 208. 

Of  Christianity— 126,  129,  131. 
Myths,  Built  by  Priesthood— 232. 
Nation,  Life  of  a— 88,  121. 

"        New,  Will  Justly  Claim  a  National  Pride— 165. 
"        No  Present,  Entirely  Honorable — 165. 
"        Wants  More  Supporters — 255. 
National   Institutions,   Destructive   Force  Will   Destroy   Unpro- 

gressive — 271. 
Nations  Dominated  by  Church — 211. 
Nature  Automatic,  Not  Vindictive — 188. 

"       Laws  of.  Investigation  of.  Object  of  Theosophical  Society 

—216. 
"       Unaided  Fails— 240. 
Necromancy — See  Communication  with  Dead,  and  Magic. 
Negative  Mind  Vulnerable — 10. 
Negatively  Good— 230. 
Negativeness,  Positiveness  Overcomes — 65. 
Negro  Leaders  Formerly  White  Men — 100. 

"       Outrages — 99. 
Neo-platonic  School — 130. 
New  Age — See  Aquarian  Age. 


314  •     INDEX 

New,  Thought— 178,  213,  217. 
"  "  Miracles — 41. 

Nice,  Council  of— 133,  200,  232,  238,  239. 
Nicene  Creed — 214. 

Night,  Cosmic,  After  First  Comic  Day — 72. 
Defined— 74. 
Deity  Rests  in— 54,  264. 
Nights,  Cosmic,  Have  Grown  Shorter — 72. 
Nihilism  in  Sacred  Books  of  East — 213. 
Nineteenth  Century,  Psychic  Phenomena  in — 4. 

"  "  Spiritual  Renaissance  of — 205-219. 

Nirvana — See  Subjective  Plane,  Fourth. 
Noah— 86. 

Northerners  Became  Slavehunters  and  Traders — 98. 
Objective,  Man  Interested  in — 2. 

"  Mind — See  Mind,  Objective,  and  Soul. 

Obsession  Begins  Often  with  Telepathy  from  Entity — 25. 
"         How  to  Guard  Against — 12-14. 
"         None,  in  True  Inspiration — 22,  23. 
"         Of  Medium— 6,  28. 
Occult  Bodies,  Constructive  and  Destructive — 140,  141. 
"      Brotherhoods — 5. 
"      History,  Stray  Leaves  of— 120-152. 
"      Practitioners — 41. 
"      Retreats— 134,  135. 
Occultism,  an  Explanation  for  Psychic  Phenomena — 4. 
Occulists,  Books  of.  Collected  and  Published — 219. 
"  Carry  on  Work  of  Great  Teacher — 206. 

"  Caused  Phenomena— 5,  6,  29,  32,  209. 

"  Instriunents  of  Divine  Will — 141. 

"  Lodge  of,  Jesus  at— 228,  238. 

"  Modern,  Complementary  Writings  of — 219. 

"  Of  Piscine  Age— 120. 

"  Records  of — See  Custodians  of  Occult  Knowledge. 

"  Twelve,    Know   How    to    Prepare    and    Use    the    Phi- 

losopher's Stone — 145. 
"  Use  Elementals  to  Produce  Physical  Phenomena — 32. 

"  Who  Specialized  in  Magic,  Work  of— 209-211. 

"    Philosophy,  Work  of— 211-218. 
Old  Conditions  Must  Be  Destroyed— 221,  257. 
"     Testament— 83-85. 
"     Wine  in  New  Bottles— 2,  15,  33. 
Omnipotence — 119,  191. 
Omniscience — 119,  191. 
Orange  Cosmic  Force  Directed  by  Jesus — 50. 

"  "  "     Minds  in  Lower  Shades  of — 61. 

Order  of  Universal  Harmony — 148. 


INDEX  315 

Organs  of  Macrocosm — 55. 

Removing— 279. 
Orient  Has  Preserved  Traditions  of  Things  Subjective — 168. 
Origen— 130. 

Ouija  Board  Takes  Place  of  Medium — 3. 
Paladino — 9. 
Paracelsus — 142-146. 

Parsis,  Teaching  about  Death  and  After — 168. 
Particled  Portion  of  Deity — 54. 
Passivity  Essential  in  Mediumship — 6. 
Past,  How  to  Recall— 27. 
Patriotism— 259-261,  267. 
Paul,  Angel  Visit  to— 18,  89. 
"      Seemed  to  Teach  Atonement — 234. 
"       Sent  to  School  at  Ephesus— 125,  126. 
"      Three  Divisions  of  Man— 178. 
Period,  Cosmic,  Fifth— 292. 

Of  Last  Cosmic  Day— 75. 
"  «        Fourth— 291. 

"  «        Seventh— 80. 

"  "        Sixth,  Afternoon  of  Our— 80. 

Periods,  Cosmic — 75. 
Perseverance  Should  Be  Cultivated — 285. 
Persistency  Expressed  in  Forms — 246. 
Peter,  Angel  Visit  to — 89. 
"      Teacher  of  Glaucus — 129. 
"      Work  of,  in  Rome— 123,  124. 
Phantasms — 3,  24,  27. 
Phantoms- 3,  24,  26,  27. 
Pharisees — 169. 

Phenomena,  Attracting  and  Convincing  People  with — 213. 
"  Physical— 3,  32,  40.     See  Miracles. 

How  Produced— 9,  43. 
"  Produced  as  Credentials— 35-37. 

"  Production  of,  by  Miracles — 34. 

"    in  Egypt— 88. 
"  Psychic — See  Psychic. 

Phenomenon  Challenges  Curiosity — 1. 

Death  the  Chief— 1. 
Philosopher's  Stone— 143-146. 
Philosophy,  Berkeleyan — 211-213. 

"  Religious,  of  Theosophical  Society — 216. 

"  Taught  in  Arabian  Schools — 136. 

"  World  Densely  Ignorant  of — 211. 

Photosphere — See  Aura. 
Physical  Plane  Forms — 61. 

"  "     Repercussion  on — 94. 


316  INDEX 

Physician  Who  Uses  Poisons  Not  Constructive — 278. 

Pineal  Gland,  Inner  Vision — 18. 

Pioneer,  Unwilling,  of  Shadow  World — 1. 

Piscine  Age— 2,  68,  106,  120,  130,  135,  205,  206,  239. 

Pituitary  Body,  Inner  Hearing — 18. 

Planet,  Fifth— 190. 

Planets,  Other— 191, 

Planetary  Chains — 74,  89. 

Spirits— See  Elohim. 
Plato  Visited  Egypt— 93. 
Platonic  School— 127. 
Poetry  Taught  in  Arabian  Schools — 136. 
Poisons  Must  Not  Be  Used— 278,  279. 
Positive  Attitude,  Cultivate  at  AH  Times — 13. 

"        Mind  Not  at  First  Influenced— 9. 

"        No  Mind  Continually— 10. 
Positively  Good— 230. 
Positiveness  Overcomes  Negativeneas — 65. 
Possess,  Desire  to — 195. 
Possession — 12,  23. 
Power — See  Force. 

"         of  Mind,  Leaser  Magic  a  Phase  of — 2. 
Prayera,  Dishonest — 198,  199. 

Of  New  Era— 291. 
Precession  of  the  Equinoxes — 121. 
Precipitation,  Physical  Phenomenon — 43,  44. 
Predestination,  Man  Not  Subject  to — 189. 
Premonitions — 3,  24-26. 
Present  Civilization,  Artificiality  of — 291. 

Conditions,  Cause  of— 79,  198-202,  287,  288. 
Press,  Subsidized— 260. 

"       Will  Print  the  Truth— 204. 
Pressure  at  Present  on  Humanity — 78-80. 
Pretences,  Make  No  False— 286. 
Pride— 163. 
Priestcraft— 88,  104. 
Priesthood  Discourages  Communication  with  Dead — 1. 

"  May  Again  Arise — 208. 

Printing  Rediscovered — 138. 
Privileged  Class,  There  Will  Be  No— 204. 
Probationer,  Acceptance  of,  by  Baptism — 224. 
"  Would-be,  of  Rosicrucians — 139. 

Progress  Is  Required— 263,  264. 
Prohibition  Movement,  Psychic — 33. 
Prophetic  Knowledge  from  Deity — 25. 
Protestants,  French— 139. 
Psychic  Healing— 3,  31,  32. 


INDEX  317 

Psychic  Phenomena— 1-33,  185,  209,  210. 

"  "  In  Theosophical  Society — 216. 

"  "  Proper  and  Improper  Study  of — 16. 

"       Phenomenon,  How  Produced — 5, 
"  "  Is  Lesser  Magic — 2. 

«  Law  of— 8. 

«  Modern— 3. 

"       Plane — See  Subjective  Plane. 

"       Powers,  Latent,  Investigation  of,  Object  of  Theosophical 
Society— 216. 
"  "        Revealed  by  Spiritism— 217. 

Psychical  Research  Societies — 173,  211, 
Psychism,  Jewish — 3,  170.  \^ 

Psychology,  True — 177. 

"  World  Densely  Ignorant  of — 211. 

Public  Utilities  Will  Be  Owned  by  Governments — 204. 
Purgatory,  Christian  Teachings  on — 172.     See  Subjective  Plane, 

First. 
Quimby,  Dr.— 211-213. 

Rebirth,  Buddistic  Teachings  on  Delivery  from — 131.     See  Re- 
incarnation. 
Reciprocity— 192-204,  253.    See  Justice. 
Records  of  Occultists— 68,  93,  120,  136. 
Red  Corpuscles,  Magnetic  Portion  of  Blood — 8. 
"    Cosmic  Force,  Minds  in  Lower  Shades  of — 61. 
"    Planets  that  Vibrate  as— 81. 
"     Sea— 40,  96. 

"      "      Terminus  of  Atlantean  Exodus — 100. 
Reformation,  Seed  for,  Sown  by  Rosicrucians — 138,  139. 
Reincarnation  Among  Animals — 251,  252.     See  Rebirth. 

Ego  Projects  Part  of  Itself  at  Time  of— 179. 
"  Former    Thoughts    and    Acts    Determine    Circum- 

stances of — 188,  194. 
"  Of  Atlanteans,  Present  Humanity  Is — 96. 

"  Taught  by  Brahmins  and  Parsis — 168. 

"   Buddhists— 170,  171. 
Reintegration,  Physical  Phenomenon — 43,  44. 
Relative,  All  Values  Are — 83. 
Religion  Decadent  at  End  of  Age — 205. 
"         Life  of  a  Nation's  Dominant — 121. 
Primitive— 196,  197,  255-258. 
Religions  Will  Pass  Away — 219. 
Religious  Forms,  Object  of  Aquarian  Teacher  to  Destroy  Old — 207. 

"         Orders,  Effect  on,  of  Communication  with  Dead — 2. 
Renaissance  Aided  by  Paracelsus — 142. 
"  Mohammedan — 136, 

"  Spiritual,  of  Nineteenth  Century — 205-219. 


318  INDEX 

Repulsion  Established  as  Permanent  Law — 76. 

"  Manifested  by  Centers— 61. 

Responsibility  Expressed  in  Forms — 246. 
Retreat,  Jesus  in  Occultists' — 123. 

Occultists  Went  to  Arabian,  in  1918^152. 
Retreats,  Occult— 134,  135. 

"  "         Rosencreutz  Sent  Emissaries  to — 138. 

Retribution  Brought  by  Abuse  of  Power — 94. 
Revelation,  Interpreted  by  Joachim — 137. 

"  Reference  to  Aura — 93. 

Roman  "  Land  of  Shades  "—185. 
Romans  Knew  of  Persistency  of  Soul — 171. 
Rome,  Gods  of— 121,  132. 
Rosencreutz,  Christian — 138. 
Rosicrucians — 138-140. 
Rosy  Cross,  Order  of  the— 138-140. 
Rotary  Motion  for  Generating — 53,  54. 

"       Motions  Lessened  Near  End  of  Last  Cosmic  Day — 76. 
Ruler,  How  Finite  Mind  Becomes  a — 252,  253,  266. 

"       Worship  of— 255. 
Russia,  Compensation  for  Industrial  Slavery  in — 100. 

"        Massacres  of  Jews  in — 107. 
Saccas,  Ammonius — 130, 
Sacrifices,  Blood — 3. 

Origin  of— 197,  257. 
Sadducees — 169. 
Saint— 89,  191. 

St.  Germain,  Count  de— 146-152. 
Salt,  Essence  of— 275,  277. 
Samuel  Called  Back  by  Saul— 170. 
San  Diego,  Water  Supply  of — 40,  41. 
Saul  Consulted  Medium — 170. 
Saviour,  Objective  Mind  Looked  to  God  for  a — 240. 

Will  Help  Souls  in  Hell— 187. 
Saviours,  Similarity  in — 239,  240.    See  Teachers. 

Ten  Crucified— 221. 
Scepticism  Characteristic  of  Serving  Class — 209. 
Schism,  Great— 137. 

Schools,  Arabian,  in  Middle  Ages — 135-137. 
Science  Attacked  Dogmas  of  Church — 210. 
Sciences,  Mediaeval  Occult — 41. 
Scientists,  Phenomena  Produced  for — 5,  10. 
Self-appreciation — 266,  270. 

"  Distinguished  from  Vanity — 155. 

"  In  Animals  and  in  Human  Baby — 154,  156. 

Self-control,  How  Acquired  by  Jesus — 229. 
"  Learn  to  Practise-— 13. 


INDEX  319 

Self-reliance  Distinguished  from  Vanity — 155. 

"  In  Animals  and  in  Human  Baby — 154,  165. 

Selfishness,  Birth  of— 195. 
Seraphim  and  Cherubim — 89,  191. 
Serving  Class  and  Employers,  Adjustment  of  Relations  between — 

202. 
Seven  Planes  of  Existence — 181. 
Shadow  World — See  Subjective  Plane,  First. 
Silver— 276. 

and  Gold  Will  Be  Medium  of  Trade— 204. 
Simeon-ben-Jochai — 126,  127. 
Simon— 36,  38. 

Sins  of  Each  Individual  Will  Be  Visited  upon  Himself— 288. 
Siva— 221. 
Slade— 9. 

Slave  to  Belief  in  Disease  and  Fear  of  Death — 117. 
"      "  Habits— 114. 
"      "  Material  Things— 264. 
"       "  Mistaken  Duty— 115. 
"      "  Public  Opinion— 114. 
"      "  Religious  Beliefs— 118. 
"      White— 116,  117. 
Slavery— 263-259. 

"         Consequences  of— 98-100. 

In  United  States— 98-100,  116. 
Industrial— 99,  113. 
Soul— 108-119. 
Sleep,  Artificial— 30,  31. 
"      Ego  Slips  out  of  Body  in— 175. 
"      Knowledge  from  Deity  while  on  Border  of — 25. 

One  Mind  at  a  Time  May— 176. 
"       Why  Necessary — 64. 
Social  Conditions  Will  Be  Chaotic — 291. 
"       Institutions,     Destructive    Force     Will     Destroy    Unpro- 
gressive — 271. 
Society  of  Jesus,  Soul  of  Catholicism — 5. 
Socrates — 142. 

Idealism  of— 212. 
Solar  Cycle,  A  Great  Saviour  Comes  for  Each — 206. 
Something  for  Nothing— 98,  99,  102,  203,  263. 
Sons  of  God — See  Mind,  Subjective;  Soul;  Spirit. 
Soul — See  Ego,  Man,  Mind;  Essence. 
"       Has  Placed  Itself  in  Present  Conditions — 282. 
"       Of  One  Substance  and  Form— 178. 

One  of  St.  Paul's  Three  Divisions  of  Man— 178. 
"       Power,  in  Magic — 2. 
Slavery— 108-119. 


320  INDEX 

Soul,    Strong  and  Developed,  Will  Not  Lose  Individuality — 81. 
"       Tries  to  Remember  Its  Origin — 112. 
"       Weak  and  Wicked,  Returns  to  Infinite — 81. 
Sound,  Establishment  of  Vibration  of — 71. 
Southerners,  EflFect  of  Slavery  on — 99. 
Space,  Planes  Occupy  Same  General — 182. 
Speculation  Will  Be  Unknown — 204. 
Spirit — See  Mind,  Subjective. 

«         One  of  St.  Paul's  Three  Divisions  of  Man— 178. 
Spiritism— 3-7,  19,  22,  29,  209-211,  217. 
Spiritual  Plane  Forms — 59,  60. 

"         Renaissance  of  Nineteenth  Century — 205-219. 
Spiritualists— 173,  190,  210. 

Spirituality  Hard  to  Awaken  in  Nineteenth  Century — 206, 
Squirrel,  Self -appreciation  of  a — 154. 
Stoddard,  Biographer  of  Paracelsus — 143. 
Students,  Accepted,  in  Arabian  Schools — 136. 

"  "         Occult  Records  Accessible  only  to — 92. 

"         Aided  Aquarian  Teacher — 208. 
Subjective  Hypnotism — 13. 

"  Man  More  Interested  in  Objective  than  in — 2. 

"  Mind — See  Mind,  Subjective;  Man;  Soul. 

Plane,  First— 181-185. 

"       Developed  Ego  Quickly  Passes — 16. 
"       Entities  on— 11. 
How  Studies— 18. 
Picture  Gallery— 26. 
"       Unwilling  Pioneer  on — 1. 
Fourth— 190,  191. 
Second— 189,  190. 
Third— 190. 
Planes— 182. 
Suggestion — 42-48. 

"  Jesus  Used— 46. 

"  Perverted  in  Atlantis— 93. 

"  Used  in  Applying  Quimby's  Teachings — 212. 

"  Used  on  Investigators  of  Psychism — 10,  11. 

Sulphur,  Essence  of — 277. 
"  Summer  Land  "  of  the  Spiritualists — 190. 
Sun,  Disintegrating — 77,  78. 

"     Gods— See  Deities,  Solar. 
Surgeon  Who  Removes  Organs  Not  Constructive— 279,  280. 
Survival  of  the  Fittest— 77. 
Swedenborg — 1 74. 

Sympathy — See  Attraction,  Law  of. 
Teachers  Come  for  Each  Solar  and  Zodiacal  Cycle — 206. 
Telepathy  Used  by  Entity — 25.    See  Suggestion. 


INDEX  321 

Temple  Magic — 2. 
Tennyson — 21. 

Theology  Being  Destroyed  by  Facts — 4. 
"         Painted  Death  Horribly— 14. 
Theosophical  Society — 48,  216. 
Thought,  A  Form  is  Expression  of  a — 245. 

"         Determines  Personal  Vibration — 187-189. 
"         Persists— 219. 

"         Travels  Like  Wireless  Waves — 44. 
Time  One  of  the  Most  Valuable  Assets — 282. 
Tin— 276. 
Transmutation  of  Baser  Metals  into  Gold — 146. 

"  Man's  Nature— 144,  164.  ^ 

"  Physical  Body— 144. 
Trinitarians — 132.  r 

Trinity— 205. 

Trowbridge,  Biographer  of  Cagliostro — 151. 
Truth  Always  Colored  by  Medium— 84,  212. 
"      and   Falsehood,   Blended   on   First   Subjective   Plane — 19, 

20,  29. 
"      Press  Will  Print  the— 204. 
Universal  Consciousness — See  Deity. 
"  Harmony,  Order  of — 148. 

Universe  Builded  of  Atomic  Bricks — 53. 

Center  of— 54,  65,  57,  70. 
Unparticled  Portion  of  Deity — 54. 
Usefulness,  Value  Determined  by — 276. 
Useless  Things  Not  Preserved — 263. 
Valentinus — 128. 

Value  Determined  by  Usefulness — 276. 
Vampirization  of  Medium — 9,  19,  28. 
Vanity— 153-165,  266,  270. 
Birth  of— 155. 
"         Distinguished  from  Self-reliance  and  Self-appreciation — 
155 
Goeth  Before  a  Fall— 164. 
Jesus  Had  No— 164. 
Mental— 159,  286. 
National— 164. 
Of  Head  of  Nation— 165. 
Parental— 162,  163. 
Physical— 156. 
Spiritual— 160. 
Vegetable  Kingdom  Created  for  Food  and  Medicines — 274. 
Veil,  Man  Has  Tried  to  Penetrate  the — 1. 
Vibration— 53-67. 

"  Begins  and  Ends  in  Center  of  Universe — 64. 


322  INDEX 

Vibration.    Cause  of  Everything  That  Exists  as  Form — ^53. 

"  High,  Repels  Lower — 18. 

"  Of  Body,  Too  Low,  Causes  Death— 176. 

"  Personal,  Determines  After-death  Condition — 188,  189. 

Vicarious  Atonement — See  Atonement. 
Virgin  Birth,  Not  Corroborated — 222. 
Visions— 3,  24-26. 

At  Time  of  Death— 172,  270. 
Voodooism — 3. 

Waite,  Translator  of  Paracelsus — 143. 
Wars  Will  Soon  Be  Ended— 202. 
Water  Supply  of  San  Diego — 40,  41. 
Waters  of  Marah— 40. 
Wave  Lengths  of  Cosmic  Days — 73,  75. 
Wealth,  Desire  for— 195. 
Will,  Divine — See  Deity. 

"  Word,"  Arius  Declared  Jesus  Was  Not  the— 132. 
World,  Aura  of  the— 92,  183,  210. 
Writing,  Automatic— 3,  13,  23. 
Yellow  Cosmic  Force,  Concentration  on — 18. 
Yoga— 3,  31. 

"  Your  Forces  and  How  to  Use  Them  "—214. 
Yucatan  Settled  by  Atlanteans — ^94. 
Zacharias — 89. 

Zodiacal  Cycle,  A  Teacher  Comes  for  Each — 206. 
Zohar— 127. 


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